MOZART 


MOZART 


THE    MAN   AND   THE    AKTIST,  AS 
KEYEALED   IN   HIS   OWN  WORDS 


COMPILED   AND   ANNOTATED   BY 

FRIEDRICH  KERST 


TRANSLATED  INTO  ENGLISH,  AND   EDITED,  WITH   NEW 
INTRODUCTION  AND   ADDITIONAL  NOTES,  BY 

HENRY  EDWARD  KREHBIEL 


AUTHORIZED  EDITION 


NEW  YORK 
B.  W.  HUEBSCH 

1905 


COPYRIGHT  1905  BY 
B.  W.  HUEBSCH 


CONTENTS 


MM 

EDITOR'S  NOTE 7 

THE  SIGNIFICANCE  or  MOZART       .        .        .        .        .9 

CHIPS  FKOM  THE  WORKSHOP 13 

CONCERNING  THE  OPERA 23 

MUSICAL  PEDAGOGICS 39 

TOUCHING  MUSICAL  PERFORMANCES       .        .        .        .45 

EXPRESSIONS  CRITICAL 51 

OPINIONS  CONCERNING  OTHERS      .....    57 

WOLFGANG,  THE  GERMAN 69 

SELF-RESPECT  AND  HONOR 75 

STRIVINGS  AND  LABORS 89 

AT  HOME  AND  ABROAD 95 

LOVE  AND  FRIENDSHIP 105 

WORLDLY  WISDOM 115 

IN  SUFFERING 121 

MORALS 127 

4 

RELIGION 137 


2083063 


EDITOR'S    NOTE 

The  purpose  and  scope  of  this  little  book  will 
be  obvious  to  the  reader  from  even  a  cursory 
glance  at  its  contents.  It  is,  in  a  way,  an  auto- 
biography of  Mozart  written  without  conscious 
purpose,  and  for  that  reason  peculiarly  win- 
ning, illuminating  and  convincing.  The  out- 
ward things  in  Mo/art's  life  are  all  but  ignored 
in  it,  but  there  is  a  frank  and  full  disclosure 
of  the  great  musician's  artistic,  intellectual  and 
moral  character,  made  in  his  own  words. 

The  Editor  has  not  only  taken  the  trouble  to 
revise  the  work  of  the  German  author  and  com- 
piler, but,  for  reasons  which  seemed  to  him  im- 
perative, has  also  made  a  new  translation  of  all 
the  excerpts.  Most  of  the  translations  of  Mo- 
zart's letters  which  have  found  their  way  into 
the  books  betray  want  of  familiarity  with  the 
idioms  and  colloquialisms  employed  by  Mozart, 
as  well  as  understanding  of  his  careless,  contra- 
dictory and  sprawling  epistolary  style.  Some 
of  the  intimacy  of  that  style  the  new  translation 
seeks  to  preserve,  but  the  purpose  has  chiefly 
been  to  make  the  meaning  plain. 

H.  E.  K. 

New  York,  June  7,  1905. 


7 


THE    SIGNIFICANCE   OF 
MOZART 

Mozart!  What  a  radiance  streams  from  the 
name !  Bright  and  pure  as  the  light  of  the  sun, 
Mozart's  music  greets  us.  We  pronounce  his 
name  and  behold!  the  youthful  artist  is  before 
us, — the  merry,  light-hearted  smile  upon  his 
features,  which  belongs  only  to  true  and  naive 
genius.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  an  aged 
Mozart, — an  embittered  and  saddened  Mozart, 
— glowering  gloomily  at  a  wicked  world  which 
is  doing  its  best  to  make  his  lot  still  more  bur- 
densome ; — a  Mozart  whose  music  should  reflect 
such  painful  moods. 

Mozart  was  a  Child  of  the  Sun.  Filled  with 
a  humor  truly  divine,  he  strolled  unconstrain- 
edly  through  a  multitude  of  cares  like  Pr'mce 
Tamino  through  his  fantastic  trials.  Music 
was  his  talisman,  his  magic  flute  with  which  he 
could  exorcise  all  the  petty  terrors  that  beset 
him.  Has  such  a  man  and  artist — one  who  was 
completely  resolved  in  his  works,  and  therefore 
still  stands  bodily  before  us  with  all  his  glorious 
qualities  after  the  lapse  of  a  century — has  Mo- 
zart still  something  to  say  to  us  who  have  just 
stepped  timidly  into  a  new  century  separated 
by  another  from  that  of  the  composer  ?  Much ; 
9 


10  Mozart 

very  much.  Many  prophets  have  arisen  since 
Mozart's  death ;  two  of  them  have  moved  us  pro- 
foundly with  their  evangel.  One  of  them  knew 
all  the  mysteries,  and  Nature  took  away  his 
hearing  lest  he  proclaim  too  much.  We  fol- 
lowed him  into  all  the  depths  of  the  world  of 
feeling.  The  other  shook  us  awake  and  placed 
us  in  the  hurly-burly  of  national  life  and  striv- 
ing; pointing  to  his  own  achievements,  he  said: 
"  If  you  wish  it,  you  have  now  a  German  art !  " 
The  one  was  Beethoven, — the  other  Wagner. 
Because  their  music  demands  of  us  that  we  share 
with  it  its  experiences  and  struggles,  they  are 
the  guiding  spirits  of  a  generation  which  has 
grown  up  in  combat  and  is  expecting  an  un- 
known world  of  combat  beyond  the  morning 
mist  of  the  new  century. 

But  we  are  in  the  case  of  the  man  in  the  fairy 
tale  who  could  not  forget  the  merry  tune  of  the 
forest  bird  which  he  had  heard  as  a  boy.  We 
gladly  permit  ourselves  to  be  led,  occasionally, 
out  of  the  rude  realities  that  surround  us,  into 
a  beautiful  world  that  knows  no  care  but  lies 
forever  bathed  in  the  sunshine  of  cloudless  hap- 
piness,— a  world  in  which  every  loveliness  of 
which  fancy  has  dreamed  has  taken  life  and 
form.  It  is  because  of  this  that  we  make  pil- 
grimages to  the  masterpieces  of  the  plastic  arts, 
that  we  give  heed  to  the  speech  of  Schiller,  listen 
to  the  music  of  Mozart.  When  wearied  by  the 
stress  of  life  we  gladly  hie  to  Mozart  that  he 
may  tell  us  stories  of  that  land  of  beauty,  and 


The  Significance  of  Mozart        11 

convince  us  that  there  are  other  and  better  oc- 
cupations than  the  worries  and  combats  of  the 
fleeting  hour.  This  is  what  Mozart  has  to  tell 
us  to-day.  In  spite  of  Wagner  he  has  an  in- 
dividual mission  to  fulfil  which  will  keep  him 
immortal.  "  That  of  which  Lessing  convinces 
us  only  with  expenditure  of  many  words  sounds 
clear  and  irresistible  in  *  The  Magic  Flute  ' : — 
the  longing  for  light  and  day.  Therefore 
there  is  something  like  the  glory  of  daybreak 
in  the  tones  of  Mozart's  opera;  it  is  wafted 
towards  us  like  the  morning  breeze  which  dis- 
pels the  shadows  and  invokes  the  sun." 

Mozart  remains  ever  young;  one  reason  is 
because  death  laid  hold  of  him  in  the  middle  of 
his  career.  While  all  the  world  was  still  gazing 
expectantly  upon  him,  he  vanished  from  the 
earth  and  left  no  hope  deceived.  His  was  the 
enviable  fate  of  a  Raphael,  Schiller  and  Korner. 
As  the  German  ('tis  Schumann's  utterance) 
thinks  of  Beethoven  when  he  speaks  the  word 
symphony,  so  the  name  of  Mozart  in  his  mind 
is  associated  with  the  conception  of  things 
youthful,  bright  and  sunny.  Schumann  was 
fully  conscious  of  a  purpose  when  he  called  out, 
"  Do  not  put  Beethoven  in  the  hands  of  young 
people  too  early;  refresh  and  strenghten  them 
with  the  fresh  and  lusty  Mozart."  Another 
time  he  writes :  "  Does  it  not  seem  as  if  Mozart's 
works  become  fresher  and  fresher  the  oftener 
we  hear  them?  " 

The  more  we  realize  that  Wagner  places  a 


12  Mozart 

heavy  and  intoxicating  draught  before  us  the 
more  we  shall  appreciate  the  precious  mountain 
spring  which  laves  us  in  Mozart's  music,  and 
the  less  willing  we  shall  be  to  permit  any  op- 
portunity to  pass  unimproved  which  offers  us 
the  crystal  cup.  In  the  mind  of  Goethe  genius 
was  summed  up  in  the  name  of  Mozart.  In  a 
prophetic  ecstasy  he  spoke  the  significant  words : 
"  What  else  is  genius  than  that  productive 
power  through  which  deeds  arise,  worthy  of 
standing  in  the  presence  of  God  and  Nature, 
and  which,  for  this  reason,  bear  results  and  are 
lasting?  All  the  creations  of  Mozart  are  of 
this  class;  within  them  there  is  a  generative 
force  which  is  transplanted  from  generation  to 
generation,  and  is  not  likely  soon  to  be  ex- 
hausted or  devoured." 


CHIPS   FROM   THE  WORKSHOP 

1.  If  one  has  the  talent  it  pushes  for  utter- 
ance and  torments  one;  it  will  out;  and  then 
one  is  out  with  it  without  questioning.     And, 
look  you,  there  is  nothing  in  this  thing  of  learn- 
ing out  of  books.     Here,  here  and  here  (point- 
ing to  his  ear,  his  head  and  his  heart)  is  your 
school.     If  everything  is  right  there,  then  take 
your  pen  and  down  with  it;  afterward  ask  the 
opinion  of  a  man  who  knows  his  business. 

To  a  musically  talented  boy  who  asked  Mozart  how 
one  might  learn  to  compose. 

2.  I  can  not  write  poetically ;  I  am  no  poet. 
I  can  not  divide  and  subdivide  my  phrases  so  as 
to  produce  light  and  shade;  I  am  no  painter. 
I  can  not  even  give  expression  to  my  sentiments 
and  thoughts  by   gestures   and  pantomime;   I 
am  no  dancer.    But  I  can  do  it  with  tones ;  I  am 
a  musician.      ...     I  wish  you  might  live  till 
there  is  nothing  more  to  be  said  in  music. 

Mannheim,  November  8,  1777,  in  a  letter  of  congratu- 
lation to  his  father  who  was  born  on  November  14,  1719. 
Despite  his  assertion  Mozart  was  an  admirable  dancer  and 
passionately  devoted  to  the  sport.  [So  says  Herr  Kerst 
obviously  misconceiving  Mozart's  words.  It  is  plain  to  me 
that  the  composer  had  the  classic  definition  of  the  dance 
in  mind  when  he  said  that  he  was  no  dancer.  The  dance 
of  which  he  was  thinking  was  that  described  by  Charles 
Kingsley.  "  A  dance  in  which  every  motion  was  a  word, 
and  rest  as  eloquent  as  motion;  in  which  every  attitude 
was  a  fresh  motive  for  a  sculptor  of  the  purest  school, 

18 


14  Mozart 

and  the  highest  physical  activity  was  manifested,  not  as 
in  coarse  pantomime,  in  fantastic  bounds  and  unnatural 
distortions,  but  in  perpetual  delicate  modulations  of  a 
stately  and  self-sustained  grace."  H.  E.  K.] 

3.  The  poets  almost  remind  me  of  the  trum- 
peters with  their  tricks  of  handicraft.     If  we 
musicians  were  to  stick  as  faithfully  to  our  rules 
(which  were  very  good  as  long  as  we  had  no 
better)  we  should  make  as  worthless  music  as 
they  make  worthless  books. 

Vienna,  October  13,  1781,  to  his  father.  He  is  writing 
about  the  libretto  of  "  Die  Entfiihrung  aus  dem  Serail," 
by  Stephanie.  The  trumpeters  at  the  time  still  made  use 
of  certain  flourishes  which  had  been  traditionally  pre- 
served in  their  guild. 

4.  I  have  spared  neither  care  nor  labor  to 
produce  something  excellent  for  Prague.   More- 
over it  is  a  mistake  to  think  that  the  practise 
of  my  art  has  become  easy  to  me.    I  assure  you, 
dear  friend,  no  one  has  given  so  much  care  to 
the  study  of  composition  as  I.   There  is  scarcely 
a  famous  master  in  music  whose  works  I  have 
not  frequently  and  diligently  studied. 

A  remark  to  Conductor  Kucharz  in  Prague,  who  led 
the  rehearsals  for  "Don  Giovanni"  in  1787. 

5.  They  are,  indeed,  the  fruit  of  long  and 
painstaking  labor;  but  the  hope  which  some  of 
my  friends  aroused  in  me,  that  my  work  would 
be  rewarded  at  least  in  part,  has  given  me  cour- 
age and  the  flattering  belief  that  these,  my  off- 
spring, will  some  day  bring  me  comfort. 

From  the  dedication  of  the  Six  Quartets  to  Haydn 
in  1785.  The  quartets  were  sent  back  to  the  publisher, 
Artaria,  from  Italy,  because  "they  contained  so  many 


Chips  from  the  Workshop          15 

misprints."  The  unfamiliar  chords  and  dissonances  were 
looked  upon  as  printers'  errors.  Grassalkowitsch,  a  Hun- 
garian prince,  thought  his  musicians  were  playing  faultily 
in  some  of  these  passages,  and  when  he  learned  differ- 
ently he  tore  the  music  in  pieces. 

6.  I  can  not  deny,  but  must  confess  that  I 
shall  be  glad  when  I  receive  my  release  from  this 
place.     Giving  lessons  here  is  no  fun ;  you  must 
work  yourself  pretty  tired,  and  if  you  don't 
give  a  good  many  lessons  you  will  make  but  lit- 
tle money.     You  must  not  think  that  it  is  lazi- 
ness ; — no ! — but  it  goes  counter  to  my  genius, 
counter  to  my  mode  of  life.     You  know  that, 
so  to  speak,  I  am  wrapped  up  in  music, — that 
I  practise  it  all  day  long, — that  I  like  to  specu- 
late, study,  consider.     All  this  is  prevented  by 
my  mode  of  life  here.     I  shall,  of  course,  have 
some  free  hours,  but  they  will  be  so  few  that 
they  will  be  necessary  more  for  recuperation 
than  work. 

Paris,  July  31,  1778,  to  his  father. 

7.  M.  Le  Gros  bought  the  Sinfonie  concer- 
tante  of  me.     He  thinks  that  he  is  the  only  one 
who  has  it;  but  that  isn't  so.     It  is  still  fresh 
in  my  head,  and  as  soon  as  I  get  home  I'll  write 
it  down  again. 

Paris,  October  3,  1778,  to  his  father.  An  evidence  of 
the  retentiveness  of  Mozart's  memory.  In  this  instance, 
however,  he  did  not  carry  out  his  expressed  intention. 
Le  Gros  was  director  of  the  Concerts  spirituels. 

8.  Melody  is  the  essence  of  music.    I  compare 
a  good  melodist  to  a  fine  racer,  and  counter- 
pointists  to  hack  post-horses;  therefore  be  ad- 


16  Mozart 

vised,  let  well  alone  and  remember  the  old 
Italian  proverb :  Chi  sa  piu,  meno  sa — "  Who 
knows  most,  knows  least." 

To  the  English  tenor  Michael  Kelly,  about  1786,  in 
answer  to  Kelly's  question  whether  or  not  he  should  take 
up  the  study  of  counterpoint. 

9.  One  of  the  priests  gave  me  a  theme.     I 
took  it  on  a  promenade  and  in  the  middle  (the 
fugue  was  in  G  minor)  I  began  in  the  major, 
with  something  jocose  but  in  the  same  tempo; 
finally  the  theme  again,  but  backwards.   Finally 
I  wondered  if  I  might  not  use  the  playful  mel- 
ody as  a  theme  for  a  fugue.    I  did  not  question 
long,  but  made  it  at  once,  and  it  went  as  ac- 
curately as  if  Daser  had  measured  it  for  the 
purpose.     The  dean  was  beside  himself. 

Augsburg,  October  23,  1777,  to  his  father.  Daser  was 
a  tailor  in  Salzburg. 

10.  Above  us  is  a  violinist,  below  us  another, 
next  door  a  singing  teacher  who  gives  lessons, 
and  in  the  last  room  opposite  ours,  a  hautboyist. 
Merry  conditions  for  composing!     You  get  so 
many  ideas ! 

Milan,  August  23,  1771,  to  his  "  dearest  sister." 

11.  If  I  but  had  the  theme  on  paper, — worked 
out,  of  course.     It  is  too  silly  that  we  have  got 
to  hatch  out  our  work  in  a  room. 

A  remark  to  his  wife  while  driving  through  a  beautiful 
bit  of  nature  and  humming  all  manner  of  ideas  that  came 
into  his  head. 

12.  I'd  be  willing  to  work  forever  and  forever 
if  I  were  permitted  to  write  only  such  music  as 


Chips  from  the  Workshop          17 

I  want  to  write  and  can  write — which  I  myself 
think  good.  Three  weeks  ago  I  made  a  sym- 
phony, and  by  to-morrow's  post  I  shall  write 
again  to  Hofmeister  and  offer  him  three  piano- 
forte quartets,  if  he  has  the  money. 

Written  in  1789  to  a  baron  who  was  his  friend  and 
who  had  submitted  a  symphony  for  his  judgment.  F.  A. 
Hofmeister  was  a  composer  and  publisher  in  Vienna. 

13.  You   can   do   a   thing   like   this    for   the 
pianoforte,  but  not  for  the  theatre.     When  I 
wrote  this  I  was  still  too  fond  of  hearing  my 
own  music,  and  never  could  make  an  end. 

A  remark  to  Rochlitz  while  revising  and  abbreviating 
the  principal  air  in  "Die  Entfiihrung." 

14.  You  know  that  I  had  already  finished  the 
first  Allegro  on  the  second  day  after  my  arrival 
here,  and  consequently  had  seen  Mademoiselle 
Cannabich  only  once.     Then  came  young  Dan- 
ner  and  asked  me  how  I  intended  to  write  the 
Andante.     "  I  will  make  it  fit  the  character  of 
Mademoiselle    Rose."      When    I    played    it    it 
pleased  immensely.     ...     I  was  right;  she 
is  just  like  the  Andante. 

Mannheim,  December  6,  1777,  to  his  father.  Rose  Can- 
nabich was  a  pupil  of  Mozart's,  aged  thirteen  and  very 
talented.  "  She  is  very  sensible  for  her  age,  has  a  staid 
manner,  is  serious,  speaks  little,  but  when  she  does  speak 
it  is  with  grace  and  amiability,"  writes  Mozart  in  the 
same  letter.  It  is  also  related  of  Beethoven  that  he  some- 
times delineated  persons  musically.  [Also  Schumann. 
H.  E.  K.] 

15.  I  have   composed   a   Quintet   for  Oboe, 
Clarinet,  Horn,  Bassoon  and  Pianoforte,  which 
has    been    received    with    extraordinary    favor. 


18  Mozart 

(Kochel,  No.  452.)     I  myself  think  it  the  best 
thing  I  ever  wrote  in  my  life. 
Vienna,  April  10,  1784,  to  his  father. 

16.  As  an  exercise  I  have  set  the  aria,  Non 
so  d'onde  viene,  which  Bach  composed  so  beau- 
tifully.    I  did  it  because  I  know  Bach  so  well, 
and  the  aria  pleases  me  so  much  that  I  can't 
get  it  out  of  my  head.     I  wanted  to  see  whether 
or  not  in  spite  of  these  things  I  was  able  to 
make  an  aria  that  should  not  be  a  bit  like  Bach's. 
It  isn't  a  bit,  not  a  bit  like  it. 

Mannheim,  February  28,  1778,  to  his  father.  The 
lovely  aria  is  No.  294  in  KochePs  catalogue.  The  Bach 
referred  to  was  Johann  Christian,  the  "  London "  Bach. 

17.  I  haven't  a  single  quiet  hour  here.    I  can 
not  write  except  at  night  and  consequently  can 
not  get  up  early.    One  is  not  always  in  the  mood 
for  writing.     Of  course  I  could  scribble  all  day 
long,  but  these  things  go  out  into  the  world 
and  I  want  not  to  be  ashamed  of  myself  when  I 
see  my  name  on  them.     And  then,  as  you  know, 
I  become  stupid  as  soon  as  I  am  obliged  to  write 
for  an  instrument  that  I  can  not  endure.     Occa- 
sionally for  the  sake  of  a  change  I  have  com- 
posed   something    else — pianoforte    duets    with 
the  violin,  and  a  bit  of  the  mass. 

Mannheim,  February  14,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
was  ill  disposed  toward  the  pianoforte  at  the  time.  His 
love  for  Aloysia  Weber  occupied  the  most  of  his  atten- 
tion and  time. 

18.  Herewith  I   am  sending  you  a   Prelude 
and  a  three- voiced  Fugue  (Kochel,  No.  394). 


Chips  from  the  Workshop          19 

It  is  awkwardly  written;  the  prelude 
must  come  first  and  the  fugue  follow.  The 
reason  for  its  appearance  is  because  I  had  made 
the  fugue  and  wrote  it  out  while  I  was  thinking 
out  the  prelude. 

Vienna,  April  20,  1782,  to  his  sister  Marianne.  Here 
Mozart  gives  us  evidence  of  his  manner  of  composing; 
he  worked  out  his  compositions  completely  in  his  mind 
and  was  then  able,  even  after  considerable  time  had 
elapsed,  to  write  them  down,  in  which  proceeding  noth- 
ing could  disturb  him.  In  the  case  before  us  while  en- 
gaged in  the  more  or  less  mechanical  labor  of  transcrip- 
tion he  thought  out  a  new  composition.  Concerning  the 
fugue  and  its  origin  he  continues  to  gossip  in  the  same 
letter. 

19.  The  cause  of  this  fugue  seeing  the  light 
of  this  world  is  my  dear  Constanza.  Baron  von 
Swieten,  to  whom  I  go  every  Sunday,  let  me 
carry  home  all  the  works  of  Handel  and  Sebas- 
tian Bach  after  I  had  played  them  through  for 
him.  Constanza  fell  in  love  with  the  fugues  as 
soon  as  she  had  heard  them ;  she  doesn't  want  to 
hear  anything  but  fugues,  especially  those  of 
Handel  and  Bach.  Having  often  heard  me  im- 
provise fugues  she  asked  me  if  I  had  never  writ- 
ten any  down,  and  when  I  said  no,  she  gave  me 
a  good  scolding,  for  not  being  willing  to  write 
the  most  beautiful  things  in  music,  and  did  not 
cease  her  begging  until  I  had  composed  one  for 
her,  and  so  it  came  about.  I  purposely  wrote 
the  indication  Andante  maestoso,  so  that  it 
should  not  be  played  too  rapidly ; — for  unless  a 
fugue  is  played  slowly  the  entrance  of  the  sub- 
ject will  not  be  distinctly  and  clearly  heard  and 


20  Mozart 

the  piece  will  be  ineffective.     As  soon  as  I  find 
time  and  opportunity  I  shall  write  five  more. 

Vienna,  April  20,  1782,  to  his  sister  Marianne.  Cf.  No. 
93.  [Mozart's  remark  that  he  carried  home  "  all  the 
works  "  of  Handel  and  Bach,  must,  of  course,  be  read  as 
meaning  all  that  were  in  print  at  the  time.  H.  E.  K.j 

20.  I  have  no  small  amount  of  work  ahead 
of  me.    By  Sunday  week  I  must  have  my  opera 
arranged  for  military  band  or  somebody  will 
be  ahead  of  me  and  carry  away  the  profits ;  and 
I  must  also  write  a  new  symphony.     How  will 
that  be  possible?    You  have  no  idea  how  difficult 
it  is  to  make  such  an  arrangement  so  that  it 
shall  be  adapted  to  wind  instruments  and  yet 
lose  nothing  of  its  effect.     Well,  well; — I  shall 
have  to  do  the  work  at  night. 

Vienna,  July  20,  1782,  to  his  father  who  had  asked  for 
a  symphony  for  the  Hafner  family  in  Salzburg.  The 
opera  referred  to  is  "Die  Entfiihrung  aus  dem  Serail." 

21.  I  was  firmly  resolved  to  write  the  Adagio 
for  the  clock-maker  at  once  so  that  I  might  drop 
a  few  ducats  into  the  hands  of  my  dear  little 
wife ;  and  I  began  it,  but  was  unlucky  enough — 
because  I  hate  such  work — not  to  be  able  to  fin- 
ish it.    I  write  at  it  every  day,  but  have  to  drop 
it  because  it  bores  me.     If  the  reason  for  its 
existence  were  not  such  a  momentous  one,  rest 
assured  I  should  let  the  thing  drop.     I  hope, 
however,  to  force  it  through  in  time.    Ah,  yes! 
if  it  were  a  large  clock-work  with  a  sound  like 
an  organ  I'd  be  glad  to  do  it;  but  as  it  is  the 


Chips  from  the  Workshop          21 


thing  is  made  up   of  tiny  pipes   only,  which 
sound  too  shrill  and  childish  for  me. 

Frankfort-on-the-Main,  October  3,  1790,  to  his  wife. 
"  A  Piece  for  an  Organ  in  a  Clock."  (Kochel's  catalogue, 
No.  594.)  It  was  probably  ordered  by  Count  Deym  for 
his  Wax-works  Museum  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of 
the  famous  Field  Marshal  Laudon.  The  dominant  mood 
of  sorrow  prevails  in  the  first  movement;  the  Allegro  is 
in  Handel's  style. 


CONCERNING    THE    OPERA 

When  he  was  twenty-two  years  old  Mozart 
wrote  to  his  father,  "  I  am  strongly  filled  with 
the  desire  to  write  an  opera."  Often  does  he 
speak  of  this  ambition.  It  was,  in  fact,  his  true 
and  individual  field  as  the  symphony  was  that  of 
Beethoven.  He  took  counsel  with  his  father  by 
letter  touching  many  details  in  his  earlier  op- 
eras, wherefore  we  are  advised  about  their 
origin,  and,  what  is  more  to  the  purpose,  about 
Mozart's  fine  sesthetic  judgment.  His  four  op- 
eratic masterpieces  are  imperishable,  and  a  few 
words  about  them  are  in  place,  particularly 
since  Mozart  has  left  numerous  and  interesting 
comments  on  "  Die  Entf  iihrung  aus  dem  Serail." 
This  first  German  opera  he  composed  with  the 
confessed  purpose  of  substituting  a  work  de- 
signed for  the  "  national  lyric  stage  "  for  the 
conventional  and  customary  Italian  opera.  De- 
spite its  Hispano-Turkish  color,  the  work  is  so 
ingenuous,  so  German  in  feeling,  and  above  all 
so  full  of  German  humor  that  the  success  was 
unexampled,  and  Mozart  could  write  to  his 
father :  "  The  people  are  daft  over  my  opera." 
Here,  at  the  very  outset,  Mozart's  humor,  the 
golden  one  of  all  the  gifts  with  which  Mother 
Nature  had  endowed  him,  was  called  into  play. 
With  this  work  German  comic  opera  took  its 
23 


24  Mozart 

beginning.  As  has  been  remarked  "  although 
it  has  been  imitated,  it  has  never  been  surpassed 
in  its  musically  comic  effects."  The  delightfully 
Falstaffian  figure  of  Osmin,  most  ingeniously 
characterized  in  the  music,  will  create  merriment 
for  all  time,  and  the  opera  acquires  a  new,  per- 
sonal and  peculiarly  amiable  charm  from  the 
fact  that  we  are  privileged  to  see  in  the  love- joy 
of  Belmont  and  Constanze  an  image  of  that  of 
the  young  composer  and  his  "  Stanzerl." 

After  "  Die  Entfiihrung  "  (1782)  came  "  Le 
Nozze  de  Figaro"  (1786),  "Don  Giovanni" 
(1787),  and  "Die  Zauberflote "  (1791).  It 
would  be  a  vain  task  to  attempt  to  estab- 
lish any  internal  relationship  between  these 
works.  Mozart  was  not  like  Wagner,  a  strong 
personality  capable  of  devoting  a  full  sum  of 
vital  force  to  the  carrying  out  of  a  chosen  and 
approved  principle.  As  is  generally  the  case 
with  geniuses,  he  was  a  child;  a  child  led  by 
momentary  conditions ;  moreover,  a  child  of  the 
rococo  period.  There  is,  therefore,  no  cause  of 
wonderment  in  the  fact  that  Italian  texts  are 
again  used  in  "  Le  Nozze  de  Figaro  "  and  "Don 
Giovanni,"  and  that  another,  but  this  time  a 
complete  German  opera,  does  not  appear  until 
we  reach  "  Die  Zauberflote." 

Nevertheless  it  is  possible  to  note  a  develop- 
ment towards  a  climax  in  the  four  operas  re- 
specting Mozart's  conception  of  the  world.  It 
has  been  denied  that  there  is  a  single  red  thread 
in  Mozart's  life-work.  Nevertheless  our  method 


Concerning  the  Opera  25 

of  study  will  disclose  to  us  an  ever-growing 
view  of  human  life,  and  a  deeper  and  deeper 
glimpse  into  the  emotional  and  intellectual  life 
of  man,  his  aims  and  destiny.  From  the  almost 
commonplace  conditions  of  "  Die  Entf  iihrung," 
where  a  rascal  sings  in  the  best  of  humor  of  first 
beheading  and  then  hanging  a  man,  we  reach 
a  plane  in  "  The  Marriage  of  Figaro,"  in  which 
despite  the  refinement  and  mitigation  of  Beau- 
marchais's  indiclment  we  feel  the  revolutionary 
breeze  freshly  blowing.  In  "  Don  Giovanni " 
we  see  the  individual  set  up  in  opposition  to 
God  and  the  world,  in  order  that  he  fulfil  his 
destiny,  or  live  out  his  life,  as  the  popular 
phrase  goes  to-day.  Here  the  tremendous  trag- 
edy which  lies  in  the  story  has  received  a  musical 
expression  quite  without  parallel,  notwithstand- 
ing the  moderation  exercised  in  the  employment 
of  means.  In  "  Die  Zauberflote,"  finally,  we 
observe  the  clarification  which  follows  the  fer- 
mentation. Here  we  breathe  the  pure,  clear  at- 
mosphere of  heaven,  the  atmosphere  within 
which  he  can  live  who  has  freed  himself  from 
selfish  desire,  thus  gaining  internal  peace,  and 
who  recognizes  his  ego  only  in  the  happiness 
and  welfare  of  others. 

22.  I  have  an  unspeakable  desire  to  compose 
another  opera.  .  .  .  (In  Italy  one  can  ac- 
quire more  honor  and  credit  with  an  opera  than 
with  a  hundred  concerts  in  Germany,  and  I  am 
the  happier  because  I  can  compose,  which,  after 


26  Mozart 

all,  is  my  one  joy  and  passion.  ...  I  am 
beside  myself  as  soon  as  I  hear  anybody  talk 
about  an  opera,  sit  in  a  theatre  or  hear  singing. 
Munich,  October  11,  1777,  to  his  father,  reporting  an 
expectation  of  making  a  position  for  himself  in  Italy. 

23.  I  beg  of  you  do  your  best  that  we  may 
go  to  Italy.     You  know  my  greatest  longing — 
to  write  operas.     .     .     .     Do  not  forget  my 
wish  to  write  operas !     I  am  envious  of  every 
man  who  composes  one;  I  could  almost  weep 
from  chagrin  whenever  I  hear  or  see  an  aria. 
But  Italian,  not  German ;  seria  not  buff  a. 

Mannheim,  February  2,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
wanted  to  go  with  the  Weber  family  (he  was  in  love  with 
Aloysia,  his  future  sister-in-law)  to  Italy  while  his  father 
was  desirous  that  he  should  go  to  Paris. 

24.  I  am  strongly  possessed  by  the  desire  to 
write  an  opera — French  rather  than   German, 
but    Italian    rather    than    either    German    or 
French.     Wendling's  associates  are  all  of  the 
opinion  that  my  compositions  would  please  ex- 
traordinarily in  Paris.     One  thing  is  certain; 
I  would  not  fear  the  test.     As  you  know  I  am 
able  to  assimilate  and  imitate  pretty  much  all 
styles  of  composition. 

Mannheim,  February  7,  1778,  to  his  father.  Wendling 
was  a  flautist  in  Mannheim. 

25.  I  assure  you  that  if  I  get  a  commission 
to  compose  an  opera  I  shall  not  be  frightened. 
True  the  (French)  language  is  of  the  devil's 
own  making,  and  I  fully  appreciate  all  the  diffi- 
culties that  composers  have  encountered;  but  I 


Concerning  the  Opera  27 

feel  myself  as  capable  of  overcoming  them  as 
any  other  composer.  Au  contraire  when  I  con- 
vince myself  that  all  is  well  with  my  opera,  I 
feel  as  if  my  body  were  afire — my  hands  and 
feet  tremble  with  desire  to  make  the  Frenchman 
value  and  fear  the  German.  Why  is  no  French- 
man ever  commissioned  to  write  a  grand  opera? 
Why  must  it  always  be  a  foreigner?  In  my 
case  the  most  unendurable  thing  would  be  the 
singers.  Well,  I'm  ready.  I  shall  begin  no 
dickerings,  but  if  I  am  challenged  I  shall  know 
how  to  defend  myself.  But  I  should  prefer  to 
get  along  without  a  duel ;  I  do  not  like  to  fight 
with  dwarfs. 

Paris,  July  31,  1778,  to  his  father. 

26.  Do  you  imagine  that  I  would  write  an 
opera  comique  in  the  same  manner  as  an  opera 
seria?  There  must  be  as  little  learning  and  seri- 
ousness in  an  opera  buff  a  as  there  must  be  much 
of  these  elements  in  an  opera  seria;  but  all  the 
more  of  playfulness  and  merriment.  I  am  not 
responsible  for  the  fact  that  there  is  a  desire 
also  to  hear  comic  music  in  an  opera  seria;  the 
difference  is  sharply  drawn  here.  I  find  that 
the  buffoon  has  not  been  banished  from  music, 
and  in  this  respect  the  French  are  right. 

Vienna,  June  16,  1781,  to  his  father.  Mozart  draws 
the  line  of  demarcation  sharply  between  tragedy  and 
comedy  in  opera.  ["  Shakespeare  has  taught  us  to  accept 
an  infusion  of  the  comic  element  in  plays  of  a  serious 
cast;  but  Shakespeare  was  an  innovator,  a  Romanticist, 
and,  measured  by  old  standards,  his  dramas  are  irregular. 
The  Italians,  who  followed  classic  models,  for  a  reason 


28  Mozart 

amply  explained  by  the  genesis  of  the  art-form,  rigor- 
ously excluded  comedy  from  serious  operas,  except  as  in- 
termezzi, until  they  hit  upon  a  third  classification,  which 
they  called  opera  semiseria,  in  which  a  serious  subject 
was  enlivened  with  comic  episodes.  Our  dramatic  tastes 
being  grounded  in  Shakespeare,  we  should  be  inclined  to 
put  down  "  Don  Giovanni "  as  a  musical  tragedy ;  or, 
haunted  by  the  Italian  terminology,  as  opera  semiseria; 
but  Mozart  calls  it  opera  buffa,  more  in  deference  to  the 
librettist's  work,  I  fancy,  than  his  own."  How  to  Listen 
to  Music,  page  221.  H.  E.  K.] 

27.  In  opera,  willy-nilly,  poetry  must  be  the 
obedient  daughter  of  music.  Why  do  Italian 
operas  please  everywhere,  even  in  Paris,  as  I 
have  been  a  witness,  despite  the  wretchedness  of 
their  librettos?  Because  in  them  music  rules 
and  compels  us  to  forget  everything  else.  All 
the  more  must  an  opera  please  in  which  the  plot 
is  well  carried  out,  and  the  words  are  written 
simply  for  the  sake  of  the  music  and  not  here 
and  there  to  please  some  miserable  rhyme,  which, 
God  knows,  adds  nothing  to  a  theatrical  rep- 
resentation but  more  often  harms  it.  Verses  are 
the  most  indispensable  thing  in  music ,  but 
rhymes,  for  the  sake  of  rhymes,  the  most  in- 
jurious. Those  who  go  to  work  so  pedantically 
will  assuredly  come  to  grief  along  with  the 
music.  It  were  best  if  a  good  composer,  who 
understands  the  stage,  and  is  himself  able  to 
suggest  something,  and  a  clever  poet  could  be 
united  in  one,  like  a  phoenix.  Again,  one  must 
not  fear  the  applause  of  the  unknowing. 

Vienna,  October  13,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  utterance 
is  notable  as  showing  Mozart's  belief  touching  the  rela- 
tionship between  text  and  music;  he  places  himself  in  op- 


Concerning  the  Opera  29 


position  to  Gluck  whose  ideas  were  at  a  later  day  accepted 
by  Wagner.  ["  It  was  my  intention  to  confine  music  to 
its  true  dramatic  province,  of  assisting  poetical  expres- 
sion, and  of  augmenting  the  interest  of  the  fable,  with- 
out interrupting  the  action,  or  chilling  it  with  useless  and 
superfluous  ornaments;  for  the  office  of  music,  when 
joined  to  poetry,  seemed  to  me  to  resemble  that  of  color- 
ing in  a  correct  and  well  disposed  design,  where  the  lights 
and  shades  only  seem  to  animate  the  figures  without  alter- 
ing the  outline."  Gluck  in  his  dedication  of  "  Alceste " 
to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany.  "  The  error  in  the  genre 
of  opera  consists  herein,  that  a  means  of  expression 
(music)  has  been  made  the  end,  while  the  end  of  expres- 
sion (the  drama)  has  been  made  a  means."  Wagner, 
"  Opera  and  Drama."  H.  E.  K.] 

28.  Nota  bene,  what  has  always  seemed  un- 
natural in  an  aria  are  the  asides.     In  speech 
one  can  easily  and  quickly  throw  in  a  few  words 
in  an  aside;  but  in  an  aria,  in  which  the  words 
must  be  repeated,  the  effect  is  bad. 

Munich,  November  8,  1780,  to  his  father.  Mozart  had 
been  invited  to  Munich  to  compose  an  opera,  "  Idomeneo, 
Re  di  Creta,"  for  the  carnival  of  1781.  [In  contradis- 
tinction to  the  observations  touching  poetry  and  music 
in  the  preceding  paragraph,  this  remark  shows  that  he 
nevertheless  had  a  sense  of  dramatic  propriety.  He  ac- 
cepted the  form  as  he  found  it,  but  protested  against  the 
things  which  stood  in  the  way  of  its  vitalization. 
H.  E.  K.] 

29.  The  second  duet  will  be  cut  out  entirely 
— more  for  the  good  than  the  harm  of  the  op- 
era.    You  shall  see  for  yourself,  if  you  read 
over  the  scene,  that  it  would  be  weakened  and 
cooled  by   an  aria  or  duet,  which,  moreover, 
would  be  extremely  annoying  to  the  other  ac- 
tors who  would  have  to  stand  around  with  noth- 
ing to  do ;  besides  the  magnanimous  contest  be- 


30  Mozart 

tween  Ilia  and  Idamante  would  become  too  long 
and  therefore  lose  in  value. 

Munich,  November  13,  1780,  to  his  father.  The  refer- 
ence is  to  the  opera  "  Idomeneo." 

30.  It  will  be  better  to  write  a  recitative  un- 
der which  the  instruments   can   do   some   good 
work ;  for  in  this  scene,  which  is  to  be  the  best 
in  the  whole  opera,  there  will  be  so  much  noise 
and  confusion  on  the  stage  that  an  aria  would 
cut  but  a  sorry  figure.     Moreover  there  will  be 
a  thunder-storm  which  is  not  likely  to  cease  out 
of  respect  for  an  aria,  and  the  effect  of  a  reci- 
tative between   two  choruses   will  be   incompa- 
rably better. 

Munich,  November  15,  to  his  father.  Mozart  was  at 
work  on  "  Idomeneo." 

31.  Don't  you  think  that  the  speech  of  the 
subterranean  voice  is  too  long?     Think  it  over, 
carefully.      Imagine   the    scene    on    the    stage. 
The  voice  must  be  terrifying — it  must  be  im- 
pressive, one  must  believe  it  real.    How  can  this 
be  so  if  the  speech  is  too  long — the  length  itself 
convincing  the  listener  of  the  fictitiousness  of 
the  scene?    If  the  speech  of  the  Ghost  in  "Ham- 
let "  were  not  so  long  it  would  be  more  effective. 

Vienna,  November  29,  1780,  to  his  father,  who  had 
made  the  following  suggestions  respecting  the  opera 
"  Idomeneo."  "  Idamante  and  Ilia  have  a  short  quarrel 
(near  the  close  of  the  opera)  in  a  few  words  of  recita- 
tive which  is  interrupted  by  a  subterranean  noise,  where- 
upon the  oracle  speaks  also  from  the  depths.  The  voice 
and  the  accompaniment  must  be  moving,  terrifying  and 
most  extraordinary;  it  ought  to  make  a  masterpiece  of 
harmony." 


Concerning  the  Opera  31 

32.  In  a  word :  far-fetched  or  unusual  words 
are  always  out  of  place  in  an  agreeable  aria; 
moreover,  I  should  like  to  have  the  aria  suggest 
only  restfulness  and  satisfaction ;  and  if  it  con- 
sisted of  only  one  part  I  should  still  be  satisfied 
— in  fact,  I  should  prefer  to  have  it  so. 

Munich,  December  5,  1780,  to  his  father.  "  Idomeneo  " 
is  still  the  subject  of  discussion. 

33.  As  to  the  matter  of  popularity,  be  uncon- 
cerned; there  is  music  in  my  opera  for  all  sorts 
of  persons — but  none  for  long  ears. 

Munich,  December  16,  1780,  to  his  father,  who  had  ex- 
pressed a  fear  that  Mozart  would  not  write  down  to  the 
level  of  his  public.  [On  December  11,  his  father  had 
written :  "  I  recommend  you  not  to  think  in  your  work 
only  of  the  musical  public,  but  also  of  the  unmusical. 
You  know  that  there  are  a  hundred  ignorant  people  for 
every  ten  true  connoisseurs;  so  do  not  forget  what  is 
called  popular  and  tickle  the  long  ears."  H.  E.  K.] 

34.  I  have  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with 
him  about  the  quartet.     The  oftener  I  fancy  it 
performed  on  the  stage  the  more   effective  it 
seems  to  me;  and  it  has  pleased  all  who  have 
heard  it  on  the  pianoforte.     Raaff  alone  thinks 
it  will  make  no  effect.     He  said  to  me  in  pri- 
vate :  "  Non  c'e  da  s planar  la  voce — it  is  too 
curt."    As  if  we  should  not  speak  more  than  we 
sing  in  a  quartet !    He  has  no  understanding  of 
such  things.     I  said  to  him  simply :  "  My  dear 
friend,  if  I  knew  a  single  note  which  might  be 
changed  in  this  quartet  I  would  change  it  at 
once ;  but  I  have  not  been  so  completely  satisfied 
with  anything  in  the  opera  as  I  am  with  this 


32  Mozart 

quartet;  when  you  have  heard  it  sung  together 
you  will  talk  differently.  I  have  done  my  best 
to  fit  you  with  the  two  arias,  will  do  it  again 
with  the  third,  and  hope  to  succeed;  but  you 
must  let  the  composer  have  his  own  way  in  trios 
and  quartets."  Whereupon  he  was  satisfied. 
Recently  he  was  vexed  because  of  one  of  the 
words  in  his  best  aria — rinvigorir  and  ringio- 
venir,  particularly  vienmi  a  rinvigorir — five  i's. 
It  is  true  it  is  very  unpleasant  at  the  conclusion 
of  an  aria. 

Munich,  December  27,  1780,  to  his  father.  Raaff  was 
the  principal  singer  in  the  opera  "  Idomeneo,"  which 
Mozart  had  been  commissioned  to  write  by  the  Elector 
for  Munich.  The  observation  shows  how  capable  Mozart 
was  of  appreciating  foreign  criticism. 

35.  My  head  and  hands  are  so  full  of  the 
third  act  that  it  would  not  be  strange  if  I  were 
myself  transformed  into  a  third  act.      It  has 
cost  me  more  care  than   an  entire  opera,  for 
there  is  scarcely  a  scene  in  it  which  is  not  inter- 
esting.    The  accompaniment  for  the  subterra- 
nean voice  consists  of  five  voices   only — three 
trombones    and    two    French-horns,    which    are 
placed  at  the  point  from  which  the  voice  pro- 
ceeds.    At  this  moment  the  whole  orchestra  is 
silent. 

Munich,  January  3,  1781,  to  his  father,  whom  in  the 
same  letter  he  invites  to  Munich  to  hear  the  opera. 

36.  After  the  chorus  of  mourning  the  King, 
the  populace,  everybody,  leave  the  stage,  and 
the  next  scene  begins  with  the  directions:  Ido- 
meneo  in  ginochione  nel   tempio    (Idomeneus, 


Concerning  the  Opera  83 

kneeling  in  the  temple).  That  will  never  do; 
he  must  come  with  all  his  following.  That 
necessitates  a  march,  and  I  have  composed  a 
very  simple  one  for  two  violins,  viola,  bass  and 
two  oboes,  which  is  to  be  played  a  mezza  voce, 
during  which  the  King  enters  and  the  priests 
make  the  preparations  for  the  sacrifice.  Then 
the  King  sinks  on  his  knees  and  begins  his 
prayer.  In  Electra's  recitative,  after  the  sub- 
terranean voice,  the  word  Partono  (they  go) 
should  be  written  in ;  I  forgot  to  look  at  the 
copy  made  for  the  printer  and  do  not  know 
whether  or  how  the  direction  has  been  written 
in.  It  seems  silly  to  me  that  everybody  should 
hurry  away  only  in  order  to  leave  Mademoiselle 
Electra  alone. 

Munich,  January  3,  1781,  to  his  father. 

37.  I  am  glad  to  compose  the  book.     The 
time  is  short,  it  is  true,  for  it  must  be  per- 
formed about  the  middle  of  September ;  but  the 
circumstances  connected  with  the  performances, 
and  a  number  of  other  purposes,  are  of  such  a 
character  that  they  enliven  my  spirits  in  such  a 
degree  that  I  hurry  to  my  writing  desk  and  re- 
main seated  there  with  great  joy. 

Vienna,  August  1,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  opera  re- 
ferred to  is  "Die  Entfiihrung  aus  dem  Serail."  The 
"  circumstances  "  were  the  court  festivals  which  were  to 
celebrate  the  coming  of  the  Russian  Grand  Duke,  from 
which  Mozart,  as  was  his  wont,  expected  all  manner  of 
future  benefits. 

38.  As  regards  the  work  of  Stephanie  you 
are  right,  of  course,  but  nevertheless  the  poetry 


34  Mozart 

is  well  fitted  to  the  character  of  the  stupid, 
coarse  and  malicious  Osmin.  I  know  full  well 
that  the  style  of  the  verse  is  none  of  the  best, 
but  it  has  so  adjusted  itself  to  the  musical 
thoughts  (which  were  promenading  in  my  brain 
in  advance)  that  the  lines  had  to  please  me,  and 
I  will  wager  there  will  be  no  disappointment  at 
the  performance.  So  far  as  the  songs  are  con- 
cerned they  are  not  to  be  despised.  Belmont's 
aria  "  O,  wie  angstlich "  could  scarcely  have 
been  written  better  for  music. 

Vienna,  October  13,  1781,  to  his  father.  Stephanie 
was  the  author  of  the  libretto  of  "Die  Entfiihrung  aus 
dem  Serail." 

39.  An  aria  has  been  written  for  Osmin  in 
the  first  act.  .  .  .  You  have  seen  only  the 
beginning  and  end  of  it,  which  must  be  effective ; 
the  rage  of  Osmin  is  made  ridiculous  by  the  use 
of  Turkish  music.  In  developing  the  aria  I 
have  given  him  (Fischer,  a  bass)  a  chance  to 
show  his  beautiful  low  tones.  The  "  By  the 
beard  of  the  Prophet "  remains  in  the  same 
tempo  but  has  quicker  notes,  and  as  his  anger 
grows  continually,  when  one  thinks  that  the  aria 
is  come  to  an  end,  the  Allegro  assai  must  make 
the  best  kind  of  an  effect  when  it  enters  in  a  dif- 
ferent measure  and  key.  Here  is  the  reason :  a 
man  who  is  in  such  a  violent  rage  oversteps  all 
order,  all  moderation;  he  forgets  himself,  and 
the  music  must  do  the  same. 

Inasmuch  as  the  passions,  whether  violent  or 
not,  must  never  be  carried  in  their  expression  to 


Concerning  the  Opera  35 

the  verge  of  disgust,  and  music,  even  in  the  most 
awful  situations  must  not  offend  the  ear  but 
always  please,  consequently  always  remain  mu- 
sic, I  have  not  chosen  a  key  foreign  to  F  (i.e. 
the  key  of  the  aria),  but  a  related  one, — not 
the  nearest,  D  minor,  but  the  more  distant,  A 
minor.  You  know  how  I  have  given  expression 
to  Belmonfs  aria,  "  O,  wie  angstlich,  O  wie 
feurig," — there  is  a  suggestion  of  the  beating 
heart, — the  violins  in  octaves.  This  is  the  fa- 
vorite aria  of  all  who  have  heard  it, — of  myself, 
as  well, — and  is  written  right  into  the  voice  of 
Adamberger.  One  can  see  the  reeling  and  trem- 
bling, one  can  see  the  heaving  breast  which  is 
illustrated  by  a  crescendo;  one  hears  the  lisp- 
ings  and  sighs  expressed  by  the  muted  violins 
with  flute  in  unison.  The  Janizary  chorus  is, 
as  such,  all  that  could  be  asked,  short  and  jolly, 
written  to  suit  the  Viennese. 

Vienna,  September  26,  1781,  to  his  father.  Concerning 
the  composition  of  "Die  Entfiihrung,"  Mozart  delivered 
himself  at  greater  length  and  more  explicitly  than  about 
any  other  opera.  From  the  above  excerpt  one  can  learn 
his  notions  touching  musical  characterization  and  delinea- 
tion. ["  Turkish  "  music,  or  "  Janizary  "  music,  is  that  in 
which  the  percussion  effects  of  Oriental  music  are  imitated 
— music  utilizing  the  large  drum,  cymbals,  etc.  H.  E.  K.} 

40.  The  close  will  make  a  deal  of  noise;  and 
that  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  end  of  an 
act ; — the  noisier  the  better,  the  shorter  the  bet- 
ter, so  that  the  people  shall  not  get  too  cool  to 
applaud. 

Vienna,  September  26,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  Trio 
at  the  end  of  the  first  act  is  the  finale  referred  to. 


36  Mozart 

41.  My  opera  is  to  be  performed  again  next 
Friday,  but  I  have  protested  against  it  as  I  do 
not  want  it  to  be  ridden  to  death  at  once.     The 
public,  I  may  say,  are  daft  about  this  opera. 
It  does  a  fellow  good  to  receive  such  applause. 

Vienna,  July  27,  1782,  to  his  father.      , 

42.  My  opera  was  performed  again  yester- 
day, this  time  at  the  request  of  Gluck.     Gluck 
paid  me  many  compliments  on  it.     I  am  to  dine 
with  him  to-morrow. 

Vienna,  August  7,  1782,  to  his  father.  [How  Mozart 
and  Gluck  differed  in  principle  on  the  relation  between 
text  and  music  the  reader  has  already  had  an  opportunity 
to  learn.  H.  E.  K.] 

43.  The  most   necessary   thing   is   that   the 
whole  be  really  comical;  then,  if  possible,  there 
should  be  two  equally  good  female  parts,  one 
seria,  the  other  mezzo  carattere;  but  one  must 
be  as  good  as  the  other.    The  third  woman  may 
be  all  buff  a,  also  all  the  men  if  necessary. 

Vienna,  May  7,  1783,  to  his  father,  in  Salzburg,  where 
the  Abb£  Varesco  was  to  write  an  opera  libretto. 

44.  It  would  be  a  pity  if  I  should  have  com- 
posed this  music  for  nothing,  that  is  to  say  if 
no  regard  is  to  be  shown  for  things  that  are 
absolutely   essential.      Neither  you,  nor  Abbe 
Varesco,  nor  I,  reflected  that  it  will  be  a  bad 
thing,  that  the  opera  will  be  a  failure,  in  fact, 
if  neither  of  the  principal  women  appears  on 
the  scene  until  the  last  minute,  but  both  are  kept 
promenading  on  the  bastion  of  the  fortress.     I 
credit  the  audience  with  patience  enough  for  one 


Concerning  the  Opera  37 

act,  but  it  would  never  endure  the  second.     It 
must  not  be. 

Vienna,  December  6,  1783,  to  his  father.  The  opera 
in  question,  entitled  "  L'Oca  del  Cairo,"  was  never  fin- 
ished. 

45.  Abbe  Varesco  has  written  over  the  cava- 
tina  for  Lavma:  a  cui  servira  la  musica  della 
cavatina  antecedente, — that  is  the  cavatina  of 
Celidora.    But  that  will  never  do.    In  Celidora's 
cavatina  the  words  are  comfortless  and  hope- 
less, while  in  Lavina's  cavatina  they  are  full  of 
comfort  and  hope.     Moreover  it  is  hackneyed 
and  no  longer  customary  habit  to  let  one  singer 
echo  the  song  of  another.    At  best  it  might  only 
be  done  by  a  soubrette  and  her  sweetheart  at 
ultime  parti. 

Vienna,  December  24,  1783,  to  his  father.  The  Italian 
phrase  is  a  direction  that  the  music  of  a  preceding  cava- 
tina might  be  used  for  a  second  cavatina, 

46.  It  is  much  more  natural,  since  they  have 
all  come  to  an  agreement  in  the  quartetto  to 
carry  out  their  plan  of  attack  that  the  men 
leave  the  stage  to  gather  their  helpers  together, 
and  the  women  quietly  retire  to  their  retreat. 
All  that  can  be  allowed  them  is  a  few  lines  of 
recitative. 

Vienna,  December  24,  1783,  to  his  father.  The  situa- 
tion referred  to  was  in  Varesco's  opera  which  never 
reached  completion. 

47.  At  six  o'clock  I  drove  with  Count  Canal 
to  the  so-called  "  Breitfeldischen  Ball "  where 
the  pick  of  the  beauties  of  Prague  are  in  the 
habit  of  congregating.     That  would  have  been 


38  Mozart 

something  for  you,  my  friend !  I  fancy  seeing 
you, — not  walking,  but  limping, — after  all  the 
pretty  girls  and  women !  I  did  not  dance, 
neither  did  I  spoon; — the  first  because  I  was 
too  tired,  the  second  because  of  my  congenital 
bashfulness.  But  I  saw  with  great  pleasure 
how  all  these  people  hopped  about  delightedly 
to  the  music  of  my  "  Figaro  "  turned  into  con- 
tra dances  and  Allemands.  Here  nothing  is 
talked  about  except  "  Figaro,"  nothing  played, 
piped,  sung  or  whistled  except  "  Figaro ;  "  no 
opera  is  attended  except  "  Figaro,"  always 
"  Figaro."  Certainly  a  great  honor  for  me. 

Prague,  January  15,  1787,  to  a  friend,  whose  name  is 
unknown. 

48.  "  Don  Giovanni "  was  not  written  for 
the  Viennese;  rather  for  the  people  of  Prague, 
but  most  of  all  for  me  and  my  friends. 

Reported  by  Nissen,  who  also  relates  that  Mozart 
often  said  "  The  Bohemians  are  the  ones  who  understand 
me."  When  "  Le  Nozze  di  Figaro "  received  an  enthusi- 
astic reception  in  Prague,  Mozart  said :  "  Because  the  Bo- 
hemians understand  me  so  well  I  must  write  an  opera 
for  them."  The  opera  was  "  Don  Giovanni." 

49.  I  am  just  home  from  the  opera;  it  was 
as  crowded  as  ever.     The  duet,  "  Mann  und 
Weib,"  and  the  bells  in  the  first  act,  were  re- 
peated as  usual, — also  the  trio  of  the  boys  in 
the  second  act.     But  what  delights  me  most  is 
the  silent  applause!     It  is  easy  to  see  how  this 
opera  is  ever  rising. 

Vienna,  October  7,  1791,  to  his  wife.  The  opera  was 
"  Die  Zauberflote," 


MUSICAL   PEDAGOGICS 

50.  Herr  Stein  is  completely  daft  on  the  sub- 
ject of  his  daughter.     She  is  eight  years  old 
and   learns    everything   by   heart.      Something 
may  come  of  her  for  she  has  talent,  but  not  if 
she  goes  on  as  she  is  doing  now;  she  will  never 
acquire  velocity  because  she  purposely  makes 
her  hand  heavy.     She  will  never  learn  the  most 
necessary,  most  difficult  and  principal  thing  in 
music,  that  is  time,  because  from  childhood  she 
has  designedly  cultivated  the  habit  of  ignoring 
the  beat. 

Augsburg,  October  23,  1777,  to  his  father.  Nanette 
Stein  afterward  married  Andreas  Streicher,  who  was 
Schiller's  companion  in  his  flight  to  Franconia.  As  Frau 
Streicher  she  became  Beethoven's  faithful  friend  and  fre- 
quently took  it  upon  herself  to  straighten  out  his  domes- 
tic affairs. 

51.  If  she  does  not  get  some  thoughts  and 
ideas  (for  now  she  has  absolutely  none),  it  will 
all  be  in  vain,  for  God  knows,  I  can  not  give 
her  any.      It  is   not  her  father's   intention   to 
make   a    great    composer    out    of   her.      "  She 
shall,"  he  says,  "  not  write  any  operas,  or  arias, 
or  symphonies,  but  only  great  sonatas  for  her 
instrument  and  mine!     I  gave  her  her  fourth 
lesson  to-day,  and  so  far  as  the  rules  of  com- 
position and  her  exercises  are  concerned  I  am 
pretty  well  satisfied  with  her.    She  wrote  a  very 


40  Mozart 

good  bass  to  the  first  minuet  which  I  set  her, 
and  has  already  begun  to  write  in  three  parts. 
It  goes,  but  she  gets  bored  too  quickly.  I  can 
not  help  her;  progress  is  impossible,  she  is  too 
young  even  if  she  had  talent.  Unfortunately 
she  has  none ;  she  must  be  taught  artificially ;  she 
has  no  ideas,  there  are  no  results,  I  have  tried 
in  every  sort  of  way.  Among  other  things  it 
occurred  to  me  to  write  down  a  very  simple 
minuet  and  to  see  if  she  could  write  a  variation 
on  it.  In  vain.  Well,  thought  I,  it  is  because 
she  does  not  know  how  to  begin.  I  then  began 
a  variation  of  the  first  measure  and  told  her  to 
continue  it  in  the  same  manner ;  that  went  fairly 
well.  When  she  had  made  an  end  I  asked  her 
to  begin  something  of  her  own, — only  the  first 
voice,  a  melody.  She  thought  a  full  quarter  of 
an  hour,  and  nothing  came.  Thereupon  I  wrote 
four  measures  of  a  minuet  and  said  to  her: 
"  Now  look  what  an  ass  I  am ;  I  have  begun  a 
minuet  and  can't  finish  even  the  first  part;  be 
good  enough  to  finish  it  for  me."  She  thought 
it  impossible.  At  length  she  produced  a  little 
something  to  my  joy.  Then  I  made  her  finish 
the  minuet,  i.e.  only  the  first  voice.  For  her 
home  work  I  have  given  her  nothing  to  do  ex- 
cept to  alter  my  four  measures  and  make  some- 
thing out  of  them,  to  invent  another  beginning, 
to  keep  to  the  harmony  if  she  must,  but  to  write 
a  new  melody.  We  shall  see  what  comes  of  it 
to-morrow. 

Paris,  May  14,  1778,  to  his  father.    The  pupil  was  the 


Musical  Pedagogics  41 

daughter  of  the  Duke  de  Guines,  an  excellent  flautist. 
"  She  plays  the  harp  magnificently,"  writes  Mozart  in  the 
same  letter ;  "  has  a  great  deal  of  talent  and  genius,  and 
an  incomparable  memory.  She  knows  200  pieces  and 
plays  them  all  by  heart."  When  it  came  to  paying  Mozart 
for  the  lessons  the  Duke  was  anything  but  a  nobleman. 

52.  The  Andante  is  going  to  give  us  the  most 
trouble,  for  it  is  full  of  expression  and  must  be 
played  with  taste  and  accurately  as  written  in 
the  matter  of  forte  and  piano.  She  is  very 
clever  and  learns  quickly.  The  right  hand  is 
very  good  but  the  left  utterly  ruined.  I  can 
say  that  I  often  pity  her  when  I  see  that  she  is 
obliged  to  labor  till  she  gasps,  not  because  she 
is  unapt,  but  because  she  can't  help  it, — she  is 
used  to  playing  so,  nobody  ever  taught  her  dif- 
ferently. I  said  to  her  mother  and  her  that  if 
I  were  her  regular  teacher,  I  would  lock  up  all 
her  music,  cover  the  keyboard  with  a  handker- 
chief, and  make  her  practise  both  hands  at  first 
slowly  on  nothing  but  passages,  trills,  mor- 
dents, etc.,  until  the  difficulty  with  the  left  hand 
was  remedied ;  after  that  I  am  sure  I  could  make 
a  real  clavier  player  out  of  her.  It  is  a  pity; 
she  has  so  much  genius,  reads  respectably,  has 
a  great  deal  of  natural  fluency  and  plays  with 
a  great  deal  of  feeling. 

Mannheim,  November  16,  1777,  to  his  father.  The 
pupil  was  Rose  Cannabich,  to  whom  the  sonata  referred 
to  is  dedicated.  Her  father,  whom  Mozart  admired 
greatly  as  an  able  conductor,  was  Chapelmaster  of  the 
excellently  trained  orchestra  at  Mannheim.  He  lived  from 
1731  to  1798.  [The  Andante  from  which  trouble  was  ex- 
pected was  that  which  Mozart  wrote  with  the  purpose 
that  it  should  reflect  the  character  of  Rose  Cannabich,  a 


42  Mozart 

lovely  and  amiable  girl,  according  to  all  accounts.   H. 
E.  K.] 

53.  This  E  is  very  forced.     One  can  see  that 
it  was  written  only  to  go  from  one  consonance 
to   another   in   parallel   motion, — just   as   bad 
poets  write  nonsense  for  the  sake  of  a  rhyme. 

From  the  exercise  book  of  the  cousin  of  Abb6  Stadler 
who  took  lessons  in  thorough-bass  from  Mozart  in  1784. 
It  is  preserved  in  the  Court  Library  in  Vienna. 

54.  My  good  lad,  you  ask  my  advice  and  I 
will  give  it  you  candidly;  had  you  studied  com- 
position when  you  were  at  Naples,  and  when 
your  mind  was  not  devoted  to  other  pursuits, 
you  would,  perhaps,  have  done  wisely;  but  now 
that  your  profession  of  the  stage  must,  and 
ought  to,  occupy  all  your  attention,  it  would 
be  an  unwise  measure  to  enter  into  a  dry  study. 
You  may  take  my  word  for  it,  Nature  has  made 
you  a  melodist,  and  you  would  only  disturb  and 
perplex  yourself.     Reflect,  "  a  little  knowledge 
is  a  dangerous  thing ;  " — should  there  be  errors 
in  what  you  write,  you  will  find  hundreds  of 
musicians  in  all  parts  of  the  world  capable  of 
correcting  them,  therefore  do  not  disturb  your 
natural  gift. 

To  Michael  Kelly,  the  Irish  tenor,  to  whom  Mozart 
assigned  the  parts  of  Basilio  and  Don  Curzio  at  the  first 
performance  of  "Le  Nozze  di  Figaro"  in  1786.  Kelly 
had  asked  Mozart  whether  or  not  he  should  study  coun- 
terpoint. [See  No.  8.  Three  years  later  Kelly  returned 
to  England,  began  his  career  as  composer  of  musical 
pieces  for  the  stage.  He  was  fairly  prolific,  but  failed  to 
impress  the  public  with  the  originality  of  his  creative 
talent.  He  went  into  the  wine  business,  which  fact  led 
Sheridan  to  make  the  witty  suggestion  that  he  inscribe 


Musical  Pedagogics  43 

over  his  shop :  "  Michael  Kelly,  Composer  of  Wines  and 
Importer  of  Music."  He  was  born  in  1764  and  died  in 
1826.  H.  E.  K.] 

55.  This  is  generally  the  case  with  all  who 
did  not  taste  the  rod  or  feel  the  teacher's  tongue 
when  boys,  and  later  think  that  they  can  com- 
pel things  to  their  wishes  by  mere  talent  and 
inclination.    Many  succeed  fairly  well,  but  with 
other  people's  ideas,  having  none  of  their  own ; 
others  who  have  ideas  of  their  own,  do  not  know 
what  to  do  with  them.     That  is  your  case. 

In  a  letter  written  in  1789  to  a  noble  friend  criticising 
a  symphony. 

56.  Do  not  wonder  at  me;  it  was  not  a  ca- 
price.     I  noticed   that  most   of   the  musicians 
were  old  men.     There  would  have  been  no  end 
of  dragging  if  I  had  not  first  driven  them  into 
the  fire  and  made  them  angry.     Out  of  pure 
rage  they  did  their  best. 

Reported  by  Rochlitz.  Mozart  was  rehearsing  the  Al- 
legro of  one  of  his  symphonies  in  Leipsic.  He  worked 
up  such  a  fit  of  anger  that  he  stamped  his  foot  and  broke 
one  of  his  shoe-laces.  His  anger  fled  and  he  broke  into 
a  merry  laugh. 

57.  Right !    That's  the  way  to  shriek. 

At  a  rehearsal  of  "  Don  Giovanni "  the  representative 
of  Zerlina  did  not  act  realistically  enough  to  suit  Mozart. 
Thereupon  he  went  unnoticed  on  the  stage  and  at  the 
repetition  of  the  scene  grabbed  the  singer  so  rudely  and 
unexpectedly  that  she  involuntarily  uttered  the  shriek 
which  the  scene  called  for.  [The  singer  was  Teresa  Bon- 
dini,  the  place  Prague,  and  the  time  before  the  first  per- 
formance of  the  opera  which  took  place  on  October  29, 
1787.  H.  E.  K.] 


TOUCHING    MUSICAL    PER- 
FORMANCES 

58.  Herr  Stein  sees  and  hears  that  I  am  more 
of  a  player  than  Beecke, — that  without  making 
grimaces   of  any   kind  I   play   so  expressively 
that,  according  to  his  own  confession,  no  one 
shows  off  his  pianoforte  as  well  as  I.     That  I 
always  remain  strictly  in  time  surprises  every 
one ;  they  can  not  understand  that  the  left  hand 
should  not  in  the  least  be  concerned  in  a  tempo 
rubato.     When  they  play  the  left  hand  always 
follows. 

Augsburg,  October  23,  1777,  to  his  father.  [We  have 
here  a  suggestion  of  the  tempo  rubato  as  played  by 
Chopin  according  to  the  testimony  of  Mikuli,  who  said 
that  no  matter  how  free  Chopin  was  either  in  melody  or 
arabesque  with  his  right  hand,  the  left  always  adhered 
strictly  to  the  time.  Mozart  learned  the  principle  from 
his  father  who  in  his  method  for  the  violin  condemned  the 
accompanists  who  spoiled  the  tempo  rubato  of  an  artist 
by  waiting  to  follow  him.  H.  E.  K.] 

59.  Whoever  can  see  and  hear  her  (the  daugh- 
ter of  Stein)  play  without  laughing  must  be  a 
stone  (Stein)  like  her  father.     She  sits  opposite 
the  treble  instead  of  in  the  middle  of  the  in- 
strument, so  that  there  may  be  greater  oppor- 
tunities for  swaying  about  and  making  grim- 
aces.    Then  she  rolls  up  her  eyes  and  smirks. 
If  a  passage  occurs  twice  it  is  played  slower  the 

45 


46  Mozart 

second  time ;  if  three  times,  still  slower.  When 
a  passage  comes  up  goes  the  arm,  and  if  there 
is  to  be  an  emphasis  it  must  come  from  the  arm, 
heavily  and  clumsily,  not  from  the  fingers.  But 
the  best  of  all  is  that  when  there  comes  a  passage 
(which  ought  to  flow  like  oil)  in  which  there 
necessarily  occurs  a  change  of  fingers,  there  is 
no  need  of  taking  care;  when  the  time  comes 
you  stop,  lift  the  hand  and  nonchalantly  begin 
again.  This  helps  one  the  better  to  catch  a 
false  note,  and  the  effect  is  frequently  curious. 
Augsburg,  October  23,  1777.  The  letter  is  to  his  father 
and  the  young  woman  whose  playing  is  criticised  is  the 
little  miss  of  eight  years,  Nanette  Stein. 

60.  When  I  told  Herr  Stein  that  I  would  like 
to  play  on  his  organ  and  that  I  was  passion- 
ately   fond    of   the    instrument,    he   marvelled 
greatly  and  said :  "  What,  a  man  like  you,  so 
great  a  clavier  player,  want  to  play  on  an  in- 
strument which  has  no  douceur,  no  expression, 
neither  piano  nor  forte,  but  goes  on  always  the 
same?  "    "  But  all  that  signifies  nothing;  to  me 
the  organ  is  nevertheless  the  king  of  instru- 
ments." 

Augsburg,  October  17,  1777,  to  his  father. 

61.  I  had  the  pleasure  to  hear  Herr  Franzl 
(whose  wife  is  a  sister  of  Madame  Cannabich) 
play  a  concerto  on  the  violin.     He  pleases  me 
greatly.    You  know  that  I  am  no  great  lover  of 
difficulties.     He  plays  difficult  things,  but  one 
does  not  recognize  that  they  are  difficult,  but 
imagines  that  one  could  do  the  same  thing  at 


Touching-  Musical  Performances      47 

once ;  that  is  true  art.  He  also  has  a  beautiful, 
round  tone, — not  a  note  is  missing,  one  hears 
everything;  everything  is  well  marked.  He  has 
a  fine  staccato  bow,  up  as  well  as  down;  and  I 
have  never  heard  so  good  a  double  shake  as  his. 
In  a  word,  though  he  is  no  wizard  he  is  a  solid 
violinist. 

Mannheim,  November  22,  1777,  to  his  father. 

62.  Wherein    consists    the    art    of    playing 
prima  vista?     In  this:    To  play  in  the  proper 
tempo ;  give  expression  to  every  note,  appoggia- 
tura,  etc.,  tastefully  and  as  they  are  written,  so 
as  to  create  the  impression  that  the  player  had 
composed  the  piece. 

Mannheim,  January  17,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
had  just  been  sharply  criticising  the  playing  of  Abbe 
Vogler.  (See  No.  66.) 

63.  I  am  at  Herr  von  Aurnhammer's  after 
dinner  nearly  every  day.     The  young  woman  is 
a  fright,  but  she  plays  ravishingly,  though  she 
lacks  the  true  singing  style  in  the  cantabile;  she 
is  too  jerky. 

Vienna,  June  27,  1781,  to  his  father.  Beethoven  found 
the  same  fault  with  Mozart's  playing  that  Mozart  here 
condemns. 

64.  Herr  Richter  plays  much  and  well  so  far 
as  execution  is  concerned,  but — as  you  will  hear 
— crudely,  laboriously  and  without  taste  or  feel- 
ing; he  is  one  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  world, 
and  without  a  particle  of  vanity.     Whenever  I 
played   for  him  he   looked   immovably   at   my 
fingers,  and  one  day  he  said  "  My  God !  how  I 


48  Mozart 

am  obliged  to  torment  myself  and  sweat,  and 
yet  without  obtaining  applause;  and  for  you, 
my  friend,  it  is  mere  play ! "  "  Yes,"  said  I, 
"  I  had  to  labor  once  in  order  not  to  show  labor 
now." 

Vienna,  April  28,  1784,  to  his  father  in  Salzburg, 
whither  the  pianist  Richter,  whom  he  recommends  to  his 
father,  is  going  on  a  concert  trip. 

65.  Meissner,  as  you  know,  has  the  bad  habit 
of  purposely  making  his  voice  tremble,  marking 
thus  entire  quarter  and  eighth  notes ;  I  never 
could  endure  it  in  him.     It  is  indeed  despicable 
and  contrary  to  all  naturalness  in  song.     True 
the  human  voice  trembles  of  itself,  but  only  in  a 
degree  that  remains  beautiful;  it  is  in  the  na- 
ture of  the  voice.     We  imitate  it  not  only  on 
wind  instruments  but  also  on  the  viols  and  even 
on  the  clavier.    But  as  soon  as  you  overstep  the 
limit  it  is  no  longer  beautiful  because  it  is  con- 
trary to  nature. 

Paris,  June  12,  1778,  to  his  father.  [The  statement 
that  the  tremolo  effect  could  be  imitated  on  the  clavier 
seems  to  require  an  explanation.  Mozart  obviously  had  in 
view,  not  the  pianoforte  which  was  just  coming  into  use 
in  his  day,  but  the  clavichord.  This  instrument  was 
sounded  by  striking  the  strings  with  bits  of  brass  placed 
in  the  farther  end  of  the  keys  which  were  simple  and 
direct  levers.  The  tangents,  as  they  were  called,  had  to 
be  held  against  the  strings  as  long  as  it  was  desired  that 
the  tone  should  sound,  and  by  gently  repeating  the 
pressure  on  the  key  a  tremulousness  was  imparted  to  the 
tone  which  made  the  clavichord  a  more  expressive  instru- 
ment than  the  harpsichord  or  the  early  pianoforte.  The 
effect  was  called  Bebung  in  German,  and  Balancement 
in  French.  H.  E.  K.] 

66.  Before    dinner    Herr    Vogler    dashed 


Touching  Musical  Performances       49 

through  my  sonata  prima  vista.  He  played 
the  first  movement  prestissimo,  the  andante  al- 
legro and  the  rondo  prestissimo  with  a  venge- 
ance. As  a  rule,  he  played  a  different  bass 
than  the  one  I  had  written,  and  occasionally  he 
changed  the  harmony  as  well  as  the  melody. 
That  was  inevitable,  for  at  such  speed  the  eyes 
can  not  follow,  nor  the  hands  grasp,  the  music. 
Such  playing  at  sight  and  .  .  .  are  all 
one  to  me.  The  hearers  (I  mean  those  worthy 
of  the  name)  can  say  nothing  more  than  they 
have  seen  music  and  clavier  playing.  You  can 
imagine  that  it  was  all  the  more  unendurable 
because  I  did  not  dare  to  say  to  him :  "  Much 
too  quick!  "  Moreover  it  is  much  easier  to  play 
rapidly  than  slowly;  you  can  drop  a  few  notes 
in  passages  without  any  one  noticing  it.  But 
is  it  beautiful?  At  such  speed  you  can  use  the 
hands  indiscriminately;  but  is  that  beautiful? 
Mannheim,  January  17,  1778,  to  his  father. 

67.  They  hurry  the  tempo,  trill  or  pile  on  the 
adornments  because  they  can  neither  study  nor 
sustain  a  tone. 

Recorded  by  Rochlitz  as  a  criticism  by  Mozart  of 
Italian  singers  in  1789. 

68.  It  is  thus,  they  think,  that  they  can  in- 
fuse warmth  and  ardor  into  their  singing.    Ah, 
if  there  is  no  fire  in  the  composition  you  will 
surely  never  get  it  in  by  hurrying  it. 

According  to  Rochlitz  Mozart  used  these  words  while 
complaining  of  the  manner  in  which  his  compositions  were 
ruined  by  exaggerated  speed  in  the  tempi. 


EXPRESSIONS    CRITICAL 

69.  We  wish  that  it  were  in  our  power  to  in- 
troduce the  German  taste  in  minuets  in  Italy; 
minuets  here  last  almost  as  long  as  whole  sym- 
phonies. 

Bologna,  September  22,  1770,  to  his  mother  and  sister. 
Mozart  as  a  lad  was  making  a  tour  through  Italy  with 
his  father.  [There  might  be  a  valuable  hint  here  touch- 
ing the  proper  tempo  for  the  minuets  in  Mozart's  sym- 
phonies. Of  late  years  the  conductors,  of  the  Wagnerian 
school  more  particularly,  have  acted  on  the  belief  that 
the  symphonic  minuets  of  Mozart  and  Haydn  must  be 
played  with  the  stately  slowness  of  the  old  dance.  Mozart 
himself  was  plainly  of  another  opinion.  H.  E.  K.] 

70.  Beecke  told  me  (and  it  is  true)  that  music 
is  now  played  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Emperor 
(Joseph  II)  bad  enough  to  set  the  dogs  a-run- 
ning.     I  remarked  that  unless  I  quickly  escape 
such  music  I  get  a  headache.     "  It  doesn't  hurt 
me  in  the  least ;  bad  music  leaves  my  nerves  un- 
affected, but  I  sometimes  get  a  headache  from 
good  music."    Then  I  thought  to  myself:   Yes, 
such  a  shallow-pate  as  you  feels  a  pain  as  soon 
as  he  hears  something  which  he  can  not  under- 
stand. 

Mannheim,  November  13,  1777,  to  his  father.  Beeck6 
was  a  conceited  pianist. 

71.  Nothing  gives  me  so  much  pleasure  in  the 
anticipation  as  the  Concert  spirituel  in  Paris, 
for  I  fancy  I  shall  be  called  on  to  compose 

51 


52  Mozart 

something.  The  orchestra  is  said  to  be  large 
and  good,  and  my  principal  favorites  can  be 
well  performed  there,  that  is  to  say  choruses, 
and  I  am  right  glad  that  the  Frenchmen  are 
fond  of  them.  .  .  .  Heretofore  Paris  has 
been  used  to  the  choruses  of  Gluck.  Depend  on 
me ;  I  shall  labor  with  all  my  powers  to  do  honor 
to  the  name  of  Mozart. 

Mannheim,  February  28,  1778,  to  his  father.  On  March 
7  he  writes :  "  I  have  centered  all  my  hopes  on  Paris,  for 
the  German  princes  are  all  niggards." 

72.  I  do  not  know  whether  or  not  my  sym- 
phony pleases,   and,  to  tell  you   the  truth,  I 
don't  much  care.     Whom  should  it  please?     I 
warrant  it  will  please  the  few  sensible  French- 
men who  are  here,  and  there  will  be  no  great 
misfortune  if  it  fails  to  please  the  stupids.     Still 
I  have  some  hope  that  the  asses  too  will  find 
something  in  it  to  their  liking. 

Paris,  June  12,  1778,  to  his  father.  The  symphony  is 
that  known  as  the  "Parisian"  (Kochel,  No.  297).  It  is 
characterized  by  brevity  and  wealth  of  melody. 

73.  The  most  of  the  symphonies  are  not  to 
the  local  taste.     If  I  find  time  I  shall  revise  a 
few  violin  concertos, — shorten  them, — for  our 
taste  in  Germany  is  for  long  things;  as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  short  and  good  is  better. 

Paris,  September  11,  1778,  to  his  father,  in  Salzburg. 
In  the  same  letter  he  says:  "I  assure  you  the  journey 
was  not  unprofitable  to  me — that  is  to  say  in  the  matter 
of  composition." 

74.  If   only  this   damned  French  language 
were  not  so  ill  adapted  to  music!     It  is  abom- 


Expressions  Critical  53 

inable;  German  is  divine  in  comparison.  And 
then  the  singers  ! — men  and  women — they  are 
unmentionable.  They  do  not  sing ;  they  shriek, 
they  howl  with  all  their  might,  through  throat, 
nose  and  gullet. 

Paris,  July  9,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart  was  think- 
ing of  writing  a  French  opera. 

75.  Ah,  if  we  too  had  clarinets !     You  can't 
conceive  what  a  wonderful  effect  a  symphony 
with  flutes,  oboes  and  clarinets  makes.     At  the 
first  audience  with  the  Archbishop  I  shall  have 
much  to  tell  him,  and,  probably,  a  few  sugges- 
tions to  make.     Alas !  our  music  might  be  much 
better  and  more  beautiful  if  only  the  Archbishop 
were  willing. 

Mannheim,  December  3,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
was  on  his  return  to  Salzburg  where  he  had  received  an 
appointment  in  the  Archiepiscopal  chapel.  It  seems  that 
wood-wind  instruments  were  still  absent  from  the  sym- 
phony orchestra  in  Salzburg. 

76.  Others  know  as  well  as  you  and  I  that 
tastes  are  continually  changing,  and  that  the 
changes   extend   even   into  church   music;   this 
should  not  be,  but  it  accounts  for  the  fact  that 
true  church  music  is  now  found  only  in  the  attic 
and  almost  eaten  up  by  the  worms. 

Vienna,  April  12,  1783,  to  his  father,  who  was  active 
as  Court  Chapelmaster  in  Salzburg,  and  who  had  been 
asked  by  his  son  in  the  same  letter,  when  it  grew  a  little 
warmer,  "to  look  in  the  attic  and  send  some  of  your  (his) 
church  music." 

77.  The  themes  pleased  me  most  in  the  sym- 
phony ;  yet  it  will  be  the  least  effective,  for  there 


54  Mozart 

is  too  much  in  it,  and  a  fragmentary  perform- 
ance of  it  sounds  like  an  ant  hill  looks, — that  is 
as  if  the  devil  had  been  turned  loose  in  it. 

In  a  letter  written  in  1789  to  a  nobleman  who  was  a 
composer  and  had  submitted  a  symphony  to  Mozart  for 
criticism. 

78.  So  far  as  melody  is  concerned,  yes ;  for 
dramatic  effect,  no.     Moreover  the  scores  which 
you  may  see  here,  outside  those  of  Gretry,  are 
by  Gluck,  Piccini  and  Salieri,  and  there  is  noth- 
ing French  about  them  except  the  words. 

A  remark  made  to  Joseph  Frank,  whom  Mozart  fre- 
quently found  occupied  with  French  scores,  and  who  had 
asked  whether  the  study  of  Italian  scores  were  not  prefer- 
able. 

79.  The  ode  is  elevated,  beautiful,  everything 
you  wish,  but  too  exaggerated  and  bombastic 
for  my  ears.  But  what  would  you?  The  golden 
mean,   the   truth,   is   no   longer   recognized   or 
valued.     To  win  applause  one  must  write  stuff 
so  simple  that  a  coachman  might  sing  it  after 
you,  or  so  incomprehensible  that  it  pleases  sim- 
ply because  no  sensible  man  can  comprehend  it. 
But  it  is  not  this  that  I  wanted  to  discuss  with 
you,  but  another  matter.    I  have  a  strong  desire 
to  write  a  book,  a  little  work  on  musical  criti- 
cism with  illustrative  examples.     N.  B.,  not  un- 
der my  name. 

Vienna,  December  28,  1782,  to  his  father.  "I  was 
working  on  a  very  difficult  task — a  Bardic  song  by  Denis 
on  Gibraltar.  It  is  a  secret,  for  a  Hungarian  lady  wants 
thus  to  honor  Denis."  When  Gibraltar  was  gallantly  de- 
fended against  the  Spaniards,  Mozart's  father  wrote  to 
him  calling  his  attention  to  the  victory.  Mozart  replied: 


Expressions  Critical  55 


"  Yes,  I  have  heard  of  England's  triumph,  and,  indeed, 
with  great  joy  (for  you  know  well  that  I  am  an  arch- 
Englishman)."  The  little  book  of  criticism  never  ap- 
peared. 

80.  The  orchestra  in  Berlin  contains  the 
greatest  aggregation  of  virtuosi  in  the  world; 
I  never  heard  such  quartet  playing  as  here ;  but 
when  all  the  gentlemen  are  together  they  might 
do  better. 

To  King  Frederick  William  II,  in  1789,  when  asked 
for  an  opinion  on  the  orchestra  in  Berlin.  The  king  asked 
Mozart  to  transfer  his  services  to  the  Court  at  Berlin; 
Mozart  replied:  "Shall  I  forsake  my  good  Emperor?" 


OPINIONS    CONCERNING 
OTHERS 

81.  Holzbauer's  music  is  very  beautiful;  the 
poetry  is  not  worthy  of  it.     What  amazes  me 
most  is  that  so  old  a  man  as  Holzbauer  should 
have  so  much  spirit, — it  is  incredible,  the  amount 
of  fire  in  his  music. 

Mannheim,  November  14,  1777,  to  his  father.  Ignaz 
Holzbauer  was  born  in  Vienna,  in  1711,  and  died  as 
chapelmaster  in  Mannheim,  on  April  7,  1793.  During  the 
last  years  of  his  life  he  was  totally  deaf.  The  music  re- 
ferred to  was  the  setting  of  the  first  great  German  Sing- 
spiel,  "  Giinther  von  Schwarzburg." 

82.  There  is  much  that  is  pretty  in  many  of 
Martini's  things,  but  in  ten  years  nobody  will 
notice  them. 

Reported  by  Nissen.  Martini  lived  in  Bologna  from 
1706  to  1784;  there  Mozart  learned  to  know  and  admire 
him.  In  1776  he  wrote  a  letter  to  him  in  which  he  said 
that  of  all  people  in  the  world  he  "  loved,  honored  and 
valued  "  him  most. 

83.  For  those  who  seek  only  light  entertain- 
ment in  music  nobody  better  can  be  recommended 
than  Paisiello. 

Reported  by  Nissen.  Paisiello  was  born  in  Tarento 
in  1741,  composed  over  a  hundred  operas  which,  like  his 
church  music,  won  much  applause.  He  died  in  Naples  in 
1816.  Mozart  considered  his  music  "  transparent." 

84.  Jomelli  has  his  genre  in  which  he  shines, 
and  we  must  abandon  the  thought  of  supplant- 

57 


58  Mozart 

ing  him  in  that  field  in  the  judgment  of  the 
knowing.  But  he  ought  not  to  have  abandoned 
his  field  to  compose  church  music  in  the  old 
style,  for  instance. 

Reported  by  Nissen.  Jomelli  was  born  in  1714  near 
Naples,  where  he  died  in  1774.  He  was  greatly  admired 
as  a  composer  of  operas  and  church  music.  He  was  Court 
Chapelmaster  in  Stuttgart  from  1753  to  1769. 

85.  Wait   till   you   know   how   many    of   his 
works  we  have  in  Vienna!     When  I  get  back 
home  I  shall  diligently  study  his  church  music, 
and  I  hope  to  learn  a  great  deal  from  it. 

A  remark  made  in  Leipsic  when  somebody  spoke 
slightingly  of  the  music  of  Gassmann,  an  Imperial  Court 
Chapelmaster  in  Vienna,  and  much  respected  by  Maria 
Theresa  and  Joseph. 

86.  The  fact  that  Gatti,  the  ass,  begged  the 
Archbishop  for  permission  to  compose  a  sere- 
nade  shows   his   worthiness   to   wear  the   title, 
which  I  make  no  doubt  he  deserves  also  for  his 
musical  learning. 

Vienna,  October  12,  1782,  to  his  father.  Gatti  was 
Cathedral  Chapelmaster  in  Salzburg. 

87.  What  we  should  like  to  have,  dear  father, 
is  some  of  your  best  church  pieces ;  for  we  love 
to  entertain  ourselves  with  all  manner  of  mas- 
ters, ancient  and  modern.     Therefore  I  beg  of 
you  send  us  something  of  yours  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

Vienna,  March  29,  1783,  to  his  father,  Leopold  Mozart 
in  Salzburg,  himself  a  capable  composer. 

88.  In  a  sense  Vogler  is  nothing  but  a  wiz- 
ard.   As  soon  as  he  attempts  to  play  something 


Opinions  Concerning  Others        59 

majestic  he  becomes  dry,  and  you  are  glad  that 
he,  too,  feels  bored  and  makes  a  quick  ending. 
But  what  follows? — unintelligible  slip-slop.  I 
listened  to  him  from  a  distance.  Afterward  he 
began  a  fugue  with  six  notes  on  the  same  tone, 
and  Presto!  Then  I  went  up  to  him.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact  I  would  rather  watch  him  than  hear 
him. 

Mannheim,  December  18,  1777,  to  his  father.  Abb6 
Vogler  was  trying  the  new  organ  in  the  Lutheran  church 
at  Mannheim.  Vogler  lived  from  1749  to  1814,  and  was 
the  teacher  of  Karl  Maria  von  Weber  (who  esteemed  him 
highly)  and  Meyerbeer.  Mozart's  criticism  seems  unduly 
severe. 

89.  I  was  at  mass,  a  brand  new  composition 
by  Vogler.  I  had  already  been  at  the  rehearsal 
day  before  yesterday  afternoon,  but  went  away 
after  the  Kyrie.  In  all  my  life  I  have  heard 
nothing  like  this.  Frequently  everything  is  out 
of  tune.  He  goes  from  key  to  key  as  if  he 
wanted  to  drag  one  along  by  the  hair  of  the 
head,  not  in  an  interesting  manner  which  might 
be  worth  while,  but  bluntly  and  rudely.  As  to 
the  manner  in  which  he  develops  his  ideas  I  shall 
say  nothing ;  but  this  I  will  say  that  it  is  impos- 
sible for  a  mass  by  Vogler  to  please  any  com- 
poser worthy  of  the  name.  Briefly,  I  hear  a 
theme  which  is  not  bad ;  does  it  long  remain  not 
bad  think  you  ?  will  it  not  soon  become  beautiful  ? 
Heaven  forefend!  It  grows  worse  and  worse 
in  a  two-fold  or  three-fold  manner ;  for  instance 
scarcely  is  it  begun  before  something  else  enters 
and  spoils  it;  or  he  makes  so  unnatural  a  close 


60  Mozart 

that  it  can  not  remain  good ;  or  it  is  misplaced ; 
or,  finally,  it  is  ruined  by  the  orchestration. 
That's  Vogler's  music. 

Mannheim,  November  20,  1777,  to  his  father. 

90.  Clementi  plays  well  so  far  as  execution 
with  the  right  hand  is  concerned;  his  forte  is 
passages  in  thirds.     Aside  from  this  he  hasn't 
a  pennyworth  of  feeling  or  taste;  in  a  word  he 
is  a  mere  mechanician. 

Vienna,  January  12,  1782,  to  his  father.  Four  days 
later  Mozart  expressed  the  same  opinion  of  Muzio  Clem- 
enti, who  is  still  in  good  repute,  after  having  met  him  in 
competition  before  the  emperor.  "  Clementi  preluded  and 
played  a  sonata;  then  the  Emperor  said  to  me,  'Allans, 
go  ahead.'  I  preluded  and  played  some  variations." 

91.  Now  I  must  say  a  few  words  to  my  sister 
about  the   Clementi   sonatas.      Every   one  who 
plays  or  hears  them  will  feel  for  himself  that  as 
compositions  they  do  not  signify.     There  are  in 
them  no  remarkable  or  striking  passages,  with 
the  exception  of  those  in  sixths  and  octaves,  and 
I  beg  my  sister  not  to  devote  too  much  time  to 
these  lest  she  spoil  her  quiet  and  steady  hand 
and  make  it  lose  its  natural  lightness,  supple- 
ness and  fluent  rapidity.    What,  after  all,  is  the 
use?     She  is  expected  to  play  the  sixths  and 
octaves  with  the  greatest  velocity  (  which  no  man 
will  accomplish,  not  even  Clementi),  and  if  she 
tries  she  will  produce  a  frightful  zig-zag,  and 
nothing  more.     Clementi  is  a  Ciarlatdno  like  all 
Italians.     He  writes  upon  a  sonata  Presto,  or 
even  Prestissimo  and  alia  breve,  and  plays  it 
Allegro  in  4-4  time.     I  know  it  because  I  have 


Opinions  Concerning  Others        61 

heard  him !  What  he  does  well  is  his  passages 
in  thirds ;  but  he  perspired  over  these  day  and 
night  in  London.  Aside  from  this  he  has  noth- 
ing,— absolutely  nothing;  not  excellence  in 
reading,  nor  taste,  nor  sentiment. 

Vienna,  June  7,  1783,  to  his  father  and  sister. 

92.  Handel  knows  better  than  any  of  us  what 
will  make  an  effect;  when  he  chooses  he  strikes 
like  a  thunderbolt;  even  if  he  is  often  prosy, 
after  the  manner  of  his  time,  there  is  always 
something  in  his  music. 

Mozart  valued  Handel  most  highly.  He  knew  his  mas- 
terpieces by  heart — not  only  the  choruses  but  also  many 
arias.  [Reported  by  Rochlitz.  H.  E.  K.] 

93.  Apropos,  I  intended,  while  asking  you  to 
send  back  the  rondo,  to  send  me  also  the  six 
fugues  by  Handel  and  the  toccatas  and  fugues 
by  Eberlin.     I  go  every  Sunday  to  Baron  von 
Swieten's,  and  there  nothing  is  played  except 
Handel  and  Bach.     I  am  making  a  collection  of 
the  fugues, — those  of  Sebastian  as  well  as  of 
Emanuel  and  Friedemann  Bach;  also  of  Han- 
del's, and  here  the  six  are  lacking.     Besides  I 
want  to  let  the  baron  hear  those  of  Eberlin.     In 
all  likelihood  you  know  that  the  English  Bach 
is  dead ;  a  pity  for  the  world  of  music. 

Vienna,  April  10,  1782,  to  his  father.  Johann  Ernst 
Eberlin  (Eberle),  born  in  1702,  died  in  1762  as  archiepis- 
copal  chapelmaster  in  Salzburg.  Many  of  his  unpub- 
lished works  are  preserved  in  Berlin.  The  "  English " 
Bach  was  Johann  Christian,  son  of  the  great  Johann 
Sebastian.  As  a  child  Mozart  made  his  acquaintance  in 
London. 


62  Mozart 

94.  I  shall  be  glad  if  papa  has  not  yet  had 
the  works  of  Eberlin  copied,  for  I  have  gotten 
them  meanwhile,  and  discovered, — for  I  could 
not  remember, — that  they  are  too  trivial  and 
surely  do  not  deserve  a  place  among  those  of 
Bach  and  Handel.     All  respect  to  his  four-part 
writing,  but  his  clavier  fugues  are  nothing  but 
long-drawn-out  versetti. 

Vienna,  April  29,  1782,  to  his  sister  Nannerl. 

95.  Johann    Christian    Bach   has    been    here 
(Paris)  for  a  fortnight.  He  is  to  write  a  French 
opera,  and  is   come  only  to  hear  the  singers, 
whereupon  he  will  go  to  London,  write  the  op- 
era, and  come  back  to  put  it  on  the  stage.     You 
can  easily  imagine  his  delight  and  mine  when  we 
met  again.     Perhaps  his  delight  was  not  alto- 
gether sincere,  but  one  must  admit  that  he  is  an 
honorable  man  and  does  justice  to  all.     I  love 
him,  as  you  know,  with  all  my  heart,  and  respect 
him ;  as  for  him,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  to  my 
face  and  to  others,  he  really  praised  me,  not  ex- 
travagantly,  like   some,   but    seriously   and   in 
earnest. 

St.  Germain,  August  27,  1778,  to  his  father.  Johann 
Christian  Bach  was  the  second  son  of  Johann  Sebastian, 
and  born  in  1735.  He  lived  in  London  where  little  Wolf- 
gang learned  to  know  him  in  1764.  Bach  took  the  preco- 
cious boy  on  his  knee  and  the  two  played  on  the  harpsi- 
chord. [  Bach  was  Music  Master  to  the  Queen.  "  He 
liked  to  play  with  the  boy,"  says  Jahn;  "took  him  upon 
his  knee  and  went  through  a  sonata  with  him,  each  in  turn 
playing  a  measure  with  such  precision  that  no  one  would 
have  suspected  two  performers.  He  began  a  fugue,  which 
Wolfgang  took  up  and  completed  when  Bach  broke  off." 
H.  E.  K.] 


Opinions  Concerning  Others        63 

96.  Bach  is  the  father,  we  are  the  youngsters. 
Those  of  us  who  can  do  a  decent  thing  learned 
how  from  him ;  and  whoever  will  not  admit  it  is 
a     ... 

A  remark  made  at  a  gathering  in  Leipsic.  The  Bach 
referred  to  is  Phillip  Emanuel  Bach,  who  died  in  1788. 

97.  Here,  at  last,  is  something  from  which 
one  can  learn ! 

Mozart's  ejaculation  when  he  heard  Bach's  motet  for 
double  chorus,  "  Singet  dem  Herrn  ein  neues  Lied"  at 
Leipsic  in  1789.  Rochlitz  relates:  "  Scarcely  had  the  choir 
sung  a  couple  of  measures  when  Mozart  started.  After 
a  few  more  measures  he  cried  out :  '  What  is  that  ? '  and 
now  his  whole  soul  seemed  to  be  in  his  ears." 

98.  Melt  us  two  together,  and  we  will  fall  far 
short  of  making  a  Haydn. 

Said  to  the  pianist  Leopold  Kozeluch  who  had  triumph- 
antly pointed  out  a  few  slips  due  to  carelessness  in 
Haydn's  compositions. 

99.  It  was  a  duty  that  I  owed  to  Haydn  to 
dedicate  my  quartets  to  him;  for  it  was  from 
him  that  I  learned  how  to  write  quartets. 

Reported  by  Nissen.  Joseph  Haydn  once  said,  when 
the  worth  of  "Don  Giovanni"  was  under  discussion: 
"  This  I  do  know,  that  Mozart  is  the  greatest  composer 
in  the  world  to-day." 

100.  Nobody  can  do  everything, — jest  and 
terrify,  cause  laughter  or  move  profoundly, — 
like  Joseph  Haydn. 

Reported  by  Nissen  [the  biographer  who  married  Mo- 
zart's widow.  H.  E.  K.]. 

101.  Keep  your  eyes  on  him;  he'll  make  the 
world  talk  of  himself  some  day ! 

A  remark  made  by  Mozart  in  reference  to  Beethoven 


64  Mozart 

in  the  spring  of  1787.  It  was  the  only  meeting  between 
the  two  composers.  [The  prophetic  observation  was 
called  out  by  Beethoven's  improvization  on  a  theme  from 
"  Le  Nozze  di  Figaro."  H.  E.  K.j 

102.  Attwood  is  a  young  man  for  whom  I 
have  a  sincere  affection  and  esteem ;  he  conducts 
himself  with  great  propriety,  and  I  feel  much 
pleasure  in  telling  you  that  he  partakes  more  of 
my  style  than  any  scholar  I  ever  had,  and  I  pre- 
dict that  he  will  prove  a  sound  musician. 

Remarked  in  1786  to  Michael  Kelly,  who  was  a  friend 
of  Attwood  and  a  pupil  of  Mozart  at  the  time.  [Thomas 
Attwood  was  an  English  musician,  born  in  1765.  He  was 
chorister  of  the  Chapel  Royal  at  the  age  of  nine,  and  at 
sixteen  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
afterward  George  IV.,  who  sent  him  to  Italy  to  study. 
He  studied  two  years  in  Naples  and  one  year  in  Vienna 
with  Mozart.  Returned  to  London  he  first  composed  for 
the  theatre  and  afterward  largely  for  the  church.  He 
and  Mendelssohn  were  devoted  friends.  H.  E.  K.] 

103.  If  the  oboist  Fischer  did  not  play  bet- 
ter when  we  heard  him  in  Holland  (1766)  than 
he  plays  now,  he  certainly  does  not  deserve  the 
reputation   which  he  has.      Yet,  between   our- 
selves, I  was  too  young  at  the  time  to  pronounce 
a  judgment;  I  remember  that  he  pleased  me  ex- 
ceedingly, and  the  whole  world.     It  is  explained 
easily  enough   if  one  but   realizes  that  tastes 
have  changed  mightily  since  then.     You  would 
think  that  he  plays  according  to  the  old  school ; 
but  no!  he  plays  like  a  wretched  pupil. 

And  then  his  concertos,  his  compositions !  Every 
ritornello  lasts  a  quarter  of  an  hour;  then  the 
hero  appears,  lifts  one  leaden  foot  after  the 


Opinions  Concerning  Others        65 


other  and  plumps  them  down  alternately.  His 
tone  is  all  nasal,  and  his  tenuto  sounds  like  an 
organ  tremulant. 

Vienna,  April  4,  1787,  to  his  father.  Johann  Christian 
Fischer — 1733-1800 — was  a  famous  oboist  and  composer 
for  his  instrument.  [Fischer  was  probably  the  original 
of  the  many  artists  of  whom  the  story  is  told  that,  having 
been  invited  by  a  nobleman  to  dinner,  he  was  asked  if  he 
had  brought  his  instrument  with  him,  replied  that  he  had 
not,  for  that  his  instrument  never  ate.  Kelly  tells  the 
story  in  his  "  Reminiscences "  and  makes  Fischer  the 
hero.  H.  E.  K.] 

104.  I  know  nothing  new  except  that  Gellert 
has  died  in  Leipsic  and  since  then  has  written  no 
more  poetry. 

Milan,  January  26,  1770.  Wolfgang  was  on  a  concert 
tour  with  his  father  who  admired  Gellert's  writings  and 
had  once  exchanged  letters  with  him.  The  lad  seems  to 
have  felt  ironical. 

105.  Now  I  am  also  acquainted  with  Herr 
Wieland;  but  he  doesn't  know  me  as  well  as  I 
know  him,   for  he  has  not  heard  anything  of 
mine.    I  never  imagined  him  to  be  as  he  is.     He 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  little  affected  in  speech,  has 
a  rather  childish  voice,  a  fixed  stare,  a  certain 
learned  rudeness,  yet,  at  times,  a  stupid  conde- 
scension.   I  am  not  surprised  that  he  behaves  as 
he  does  here  (and  as  he  would  not  dare  do  in 
Weimar  or  elsewhere),  for  the  people  look  at 
him  as  if  he  had  fallen  direct  from  heaven.     All 
stand  in  awe,  no  one  talks,  everyone  is  silent, 
every  word  is  listened  to  when  he  speaks.     It  is 
a  pity  that  he  keeps  people  in  suspense  so  long, 
for  he  has  a  defect  of  speech  which  compels  him 


66  Mozart 

to  speak  very  slowly  and  pause  after  every  six 
words.  Otherwise  his  is,  as  we  all  know,  an  ad- 
mirable brain.  His  face  is  very  ugly,  pock- 
marked, and  his  nose  rather  long.  He  is  a  little 
taller  than  papa. 

Mannheim,  December  27,  1777,  to  his  father.  On 
November  22,  Mozart  had  reported :  "  In  the  coming  car- 
nival '  Rosamunde '  will  be  performed — new  poetry  by 
Herr  Wieland,  new  music  by  Herr  Schweitzer."  On  Janu- 
ary 10,  1778,  he  writes:  '''Rosamunde'  was  rehearsed  in 
the  theatre  to-day;  it  is — good,  but  nothing  more.  If  it 
were  bad  you  could  not  perform  it  at  all;  just  as  you 
can't  sleep  without  going  to  bed ! " 

106.  Now  that  Herr  Wieland  has  seen  me 
twice  he  is  entirely  enchanted.     The  last  time  we 
met,  after  lauding  me  as  highly  as  possible,  he 
said,  "  It  is  truly  a  piece  of  good  fortune  for 
me  to  have  met  you  here,"  and  pressed  my  hand. 

Mannheim,  January  10,  1778. 

107.  Now  I  give  you  a  piece  of  news  which 
perhaps  you  know  already;  that  godless  fellow 
and  arch-rascal,  Voltaire,  is  dead — died  like  a 
dog,  like  a  beast.     That  is  his  reward ! 

Paris,  July  3,  1778,  to  his  father,  who,  like  the  son, 
was  a  man  of  sincere  piety  and  abhorred  Voltaire's  athe- 
ism. 

108.  When  God  gives  a  man  an  office  he  also 
gives  him  sense;  that's  the  case  with  the  Arch- 
duke.    Before  he  was  a  priest  he  was  much  wit- 
tier and  intelligent ;  spoke  less  but  more  sensibly. 
You  ought  to  see  him  now!     Stupidity  looks 
out  of  his  eyes,  he  talks  and  chatters  eternally 


Opinions  Concerning"  Others        67 


and  always  in  falsetto.     His  neck  is  swollen, — 
in  short  he  has  been  completely  transformed. 

Vienna,  November  17,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  person 
spoken  of  was  Archduke  Maximilian,  who  afterward  be- 
came Archbishop  of  Cologne,  and  was  the  patron  of 
Beethoven.  [The  ambiguity  of  the  opening  statement  is 
probably  due  to  carelessness  in  writing,  or  Mozart's  habit 
of  using  double  negatives.  H.  E.  K.] 


WOLFGANG,    THE    GERMAN 

Mozart's  Germanism  is  a  matter  of  pride  to 
the  German  people.  To  him  "  German  "  was 
no  empty  concept,  as  it  was  to  the  majority  of 
his  contemporaries.  He  is  therefore  honored 
as  a  champion  of  German  character  and  Ger- 
man art,  worthy  as  such  to  stand  beside  Richard 
Wagner.  Properly  to  appreciate  his  patriot- 
ism it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  in  Mo- 
zart's day  Germany  was  a  figment  of  the  im- 
agination, the  French  language,  French  man- 
ners and  Italian  music  being  everywhere  dom- 
inant. Wagner,  on  the  contrary,  was  privileged 
to  see  the  promise  of  the  fulfillment  of  his  striv- 
ings in  the  light  of  the  German  victories  of 
1870-1871.  When  the  genius  of  Germany 
soared  aloft  she  carried  Wagner  with  her ;  Wag- 
ner's days  of  glory  in  August,  1876,  were  pre- 
conditioned by  the  great  war  with  France.  How 
insignificant  must  the  patronage  of  Joseph  II, 
scantily  enough  bestowed  on  Mozart  in  com- 
parison with  that  showered  on  Salieri,  appear, 
when  we  recall  the  Maecenas  Ludwig  II. 

109.  Frequently  I  fall  into  a  mood  of  com- 
plete listlessness  and  indifference;  nothing  gives 
me  great  pleasure.     The  most  stimulating  and 
encouraging  thought  is  that  you,  dearest  father, 
69 


70  Mozart 

and  my  dear  sister,  are  well,  that  I  am  an  honest 
German,  and  that  if  I  am  not  always  permitted 
to  talk  I  can  think  what  I  please ;  but  that  is  all. 
Paris,  May  29,  1778,  to  his  father. 

110.  The  Duke  de  Guines  was  utterly  without 
a  sense  of  honor  and  thought  that  here  was  a 
young  fellow,  and  a  stupid  German  to  boot, — 
as  all  Frenchmen  think  of  the  Germans, — he'll 
be  glad  to  take  it.    But  the  stupid  German  was 
not  glad  and  refused  to  take  the  money.     For 
two  lessons  he  wanted  to  pay  me  the  fee  of  one. 

Paris,  July  31,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart  had  given 
lessons  in  composition  to  the  Duke's  daughter.  See  No. 
51. 

111.  An  Italian  ape,  such  as  he  is,  who  has 
lived  in   German  countries  and  eaten   German 
bread  for  years,  ought  to  speak  German,  or 
mangle  it,  as  well  or  ill  as  his  French  mouth  will 
permit. 

Said  of  the  violoncellist  Duport,  the  favorite  of  King 
William  I,  of  Prussia,  in  1789,  when  Mozart  was  in  Berlin 
and  Duport  asked  him  to  speak  French. 

112.  I  pray  God  every  day  to  give  me  grace 
to  remain  steadfast  here,  that  I  may  do  honor 
to  myself  and  the  entire  German  nation,  to  His 
greater  honor  and  glory,  and  that  He  permit 
me  to  make  my  fortune  so  that  I  may  help  you 
out  of  your  sorry  condition,  and  bring  it  to 
pass  that  we  soon  meet  again  and  live  together 
in  happiness  and  joy.    But  His  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  in  heaven. 

Paris,  May  1,  1778,  to  his  father  who  had  plunged  him- 


Wolfgang,  the  German  71 

self  in  debt  and  was  giving  lessons  in  order  to  promote 
the  career  of  his  son.    His  sister  also  helped  nobly. 

113.  If  this  were  a  place  where  the  people 
had  ears,  hearts  to  feel,  and  a  modicum  of  musi- 
cal understanding   and  taste,   I   should  laugh 
heartily  at  all  these  things ;  as  it  is  I  am  among 
nothing  but  cattle  and  brutes  (so  far  as  music 
is    concerned).      How    should    it    be    otherwise 
since  they  are  the  same  in  all  their  acts  and  pas- 
sions?   There  is  no  place  like  Paris.    You  must 
not  think  that  I  exaggerate  when  I  talk  thus  of 
music.    Turn  to  whom  you  please, — except  to  a 
born    Frenchman, — you    shall    hear    the    same 
thing,  provided  you  can  find  some  one  to  turn 
to.     Now  that  I  am  here  I  must  endure  out  of 
regard  for  you.    I  shall  thank  God  Almighty  if 
I  get  out  of  here  with  a  sound  taste. 

Paris,  May  1,  1778. 

114.  How  popular  I  would  be  if  I  were  to  lift 
the  national   German   stage   to   recognition  in 
music!     And  this  would  surely  happen  for  I 
was  already  full  of  desire  to  write  when  I  heard 
the  German  Singspiel. 

Munich,  October  2,  1777.     [A  Singspiel  is  a  German 
opera  with  spoken  dialogue.    H.  E.  K.] 

115.  If  there  were  but  a  single  patriot  on 
the  boards  with  me,  a  different  face  would  be 
put  on  the  matter.     Then,  mayhap,  the  budding 
National  Theatre  would  blossom,  and  that  would 
be  an  eternal  disgrace  to  Germany, — if  we  Ger- 
mans should  once  begin  to  think  German,  act 


72  Mozart 

German,  speak  German,  and — even  sing  Ger- 
man ! ! ! 

Vienna,  March  21,  1785,  to  the  playwright  Anton  Klein 
of  Mannheim.  It  was  purposed  to  open  the  Singspiel 
theatre  in  October. 

116.  The  German  Opera  is  to  be  opened  in 
October.     For  my  part  I  am  not  promising  it 
much  luck.     From  the  doings  so  far  it  looks  as 
if  an  effort  were  making  thoroughly  to  destroy 
the  German  opera  which  had  suspended,  per- 
haps only  for  a  while,  rather  than  to  help  it  up 
again  and  preserve  it.     Only  my  sister-in-law 
Lange  has  been  engaged  for  the  German  Sing- 
spiel.     Cavalieri,  Adamberger,  Teyber,  all  Ger- 
mans, of  whom  Germany  can  be  proud,  must 
remain  with  the  Italian  opera,  must  make  war 
against  their  countrymen ! 

Vienna,  March  21,  1785,  to  Anton  Klein.  Madame 
Lange  was  Aloysia  Weber,  with  whom  he  was  in  love  be- 
fore he  married  her  sister  Constanze. 

117.  The    gentlemen    of    Vienna    (including 
most  particularly   the  Emperor)   must  not  be 
permitted  to  believe  that  I  live  only  for  the  sake 
of  Vienna.     There  is  no  monarch  on  the  face  of 
the  earth  whom  I  would  rather  serve  than  the 
Emperor,  but  I  shall  not  beg  service.     I  believe 
that  I  am  capable  of  doing  honor  to  any  court. 
If  Germany,  my  beloved  fatherland,  of  whom 
you  know  I  am  proud,  will  not  accept  me,  then 
must  I,  in  the  name  of  God,  again  make  France 
or  England  richer  by  one  capable  German; — 
and  to  the  shame  of  the  German  nation.     You 


Wolfgang,  the  German  73 

know  full  well  that  in  nearly  all  the  arts  those 
who  excelled  have  nearly  always  been  Germans. 
But  where  did  they  find  fortune,  where  fame? 
Certainly  not  in  Germany.  Even  Gluck; — did 
Germany  make  him  a  great  man  ?  Alas,  no ! 

Vienna,  August  17,  1782,  to  his  father.  Mozart's  an- 
swer in  1789,  when  King  Frederick  William  II  of  Prussia 
said  to  him:  "  Stay  with  me;  I  offer  you  a  salary  of  3,000 
thalers,"  was  touching  in  the  extreme:  "  Shall  I  leave  my 
good  Emperor  ?  "  Thereupon  the  king  said :  "  Think  it 
over.  I'll  keep  my  word  even  if  you  should  come  after 
a  year  and  a  day!"  In  spite  of  his  financial  difficulties, 
Mozart  never  gave  serious  consideration  to  the  offer. 
When  his  father  advised  him  against  some  of  his  foreign 
plans  he  answered:  "So  far  as  France  and  England  are 
concerned  you  are  wholly  right;  this  opening  will  never 
be  closed  to  me;  it  will  be  better  if  I  wait  a  while  longer. 
Meanwhile  it  is  possible  that  conditions  may  change  in 
those  countries."  In  a  preceding  letter  he  had  written: 
"  For  some  time  I  have  been  practising  myself  daily  in 
the  French  language,  and  I  have  also  taken  three  lessons 
in  English.  In  three  months  I  hope  to  be  able  to  read 
and  understand  English  books  fairly  well." 

118.  The  two  of  us  played  a  sonata  that  I 
had  composed  for  the  occasion,  and  which  had  a 
success.  This  sonata  I  shall  send  you  by  Herr 
von  Daubrawaick,  who  said  that  he  would  feel 
proud  to  have  it  in  his  trunk ;  his  son,  who  is  a 
Salzburger,  told  me  this.  When  the  father  went 
he  said,  quite  loud,  "  I  am  proud  to  be  your 
countryman.  You  are  doing  great  honor  to 
Salzburg ;  I  hope  that,  times  will  so  change  that 
we  can  have  you  amongst  us,  and  then  do  not 
forget  me."  I  answered:  "  My  fatherland  has 
always  the  first  claim  on  me." 

Vienna,  November  24,  1781,  to  his  father.  Mozart  is 
speaking  of  a  concert  which  he  had  given.  The  sonata  is 


74  Mozart 

the  small  one  in  D  major  (Kochel,  No.  381).  Mozart 
often  made  merry  over  the  Salzburgians ;  he  called  them 
stupid  and  envious. 

119.  Thoroughly  convinced  that  I  was  talk- 
ing to  a  German,  I  gave  free  rein  to  my  tongue, 
— a  thing  which  one  is  so  seldom  permitted  to 
do  that  after  such  an  outpouring  of  the  heart 
it  would  be  allowable  to  get  a  bit  fuddled  with- 
out risk  of  hurting  one's  health. 

Vienna,  March  21,  1785,  to  Anton  Klein. 


SELF-RESPECT    AND    HONOR 

Beethoven  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  musi- 
cian who  compelled  respect  for  his  craft, — he 
who,  prouder  than  Goethe,  associated  with  roy- 
alties, and  said  of  himself,  "  I,  too,  am  a  king!" 
Mozart  rose  from  a  dependent  position  which 
brought  him  most  grievous  humiliations ;  he  was 
looked  upon  as  a  servant  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Salzburg,  and  treated  accordingly.  At  the  time 
composers  and  musicians  had  no  higher  stand- 
ing. Mozart  feels  the  intolerableness  of  his  po- 
sition and  protests  against  it  on  every  oppor- 
tunity; he  is  conscious  of  his  worth  and  intel- 
lectual superiority.  When  he  endures  the  gross- 
est indignities  from  his  tormentor,  Archbishop 
Hieronymus,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  his  father 
whom  he  would  save  from  annoyance.  In  all 
things  else  he  follows  the  example  of  his  father, 
but  in  the  matter  of  self-respect  he  admonishes 
and  encourages  his  parent.  Although  Bee- 
thoven rudely  rejected  the  condescending  good 
will  of  the  great  which  would  have  made  Mozart 
happy,  and  demanded  respect  as  an  equal,  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  generally  manly  con- 
duct of  Mozart  was  an  excellent  preparation  of 
the  Viennese  soil. 

120.  I  only  wish  that  the  Elector  were  here ; 
he  might  hear  something  to  his  advantage.    He 
75 


76  Mozart 

knows  nothing  about  me,  knows  nothing  about 
my  ability.  What  a  pity  that  these  grand  gen- 
tlemen take  everybody's  word  and  are  unwilling 
to  investigate  for  themselves!  It's  always  the 
way.  I  am  willing  to  make  a  test ;  let  him  sum- 
mon all  the  composers  in  Munich,  and  even  in- 
vite a  few  from  Italy,  Germany,  England  and 
Spain ;  I  will  trust  myself  in  a  competition  with 
them  all. 

Munich,  October  2,  1777,  to  his  father.  Mozart  had 
hoped  to  secure  an  appointment  in  Munich,  but  was  dis- 
appointed. 

121.  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  laughing 
when  I  was  introduced  to  the  people.     A  few, 
who  knew  me  par  renommee,  were  very  polite 
and  respectful;  others  who  know  nothing  about 
me  stared  at  me  as  if  they  were  a  bit  amused. 
They  think  that  because  I  am  small  and  young 
that  there  can  be  nothing  great  and  old  in  me. 
But  they  shall  soon  find  out. 

Mannheim,  October  31,  1777,  to  his  father. 

122.  We  poor,  common  folk  must  not  only 
take  wives  whom  we  love  and  who  love  us,  but 
we  may,  can  and  want  to  take  such  because  we 
are  neither  noble,  well-born  nor  rich,  but  lowly, 
mean  and  poor.     Hence  we  do  not  need  rich 
wives  because  our  wealth  dies  with  us,  being  in 
our  heads.     Of  this  wealth  no  man  can  rob  us 
unless  he  cuts  off  our  heads,  in  which  case  we 
should  have  need  of  nothing  more. 

Mannheim,  February  7,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
had  fallen  in  love  with  Aloysia,  daughter  of  the  poor 
musician  Weber. 


Self-Respect  and  Honor  77 

123.  I  will  gladly  give  lessons  to  oblige,  par- 
ticularly if  I  see  that  a  person  has  talent  and  a 
joyous  desire  to  learn.    But  to  go  to  a  house  at 
a  fixed  hour,  or  wait  at  home  for  the  arrival  of 
some  one,  that  I  can  not  do,  no  matter  how  much 
it  might  yield  me;  I  leave  that  to  others  who 
can  do  nothing  else  than  play  the  clavier, — for 
me  it  is  impossible.     I  am  a  composer  and  was 
born  to  be  a  chapelmaster.      I  dare  not  thus 
bury  the  talent  for  composition  which  a  kind 
God  gave  me  in  such  generous  measure  (I  may 
say  this  without  pride  for  I  feel  it  now  more 
than  ever  before),  and  that  is  what  I  should  do 
had  I  many  pupils.     Teaching  is  a  restless  oc- 
cupation  and   I   would   rather   neglect    clavier 
playing  than  composition;  the  clavier  is  a  side 
issue,  though,  thank  God,  a  strong  one. 

Mannheim,  February  7,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  must 
have  read  the  words  with  sorrow,  since  he  and  his  daugh- 
ter Nannerl  were  laboriously  giving  lessons  and  practising 
economy  to  make  Mozart's  journey  possible  and  had  to 
advance  money  to  him. 

124.  I  know  of  a  certainty  that  the  Emperor 
intends  to  establish  a  German  opera  in  Vienna, 
and  is  earnestly  seeking  a  young  conductor  who 
understands  the  German  language,  has  genius 
and  is  capable  of  giving  the  world  something  new. 
Benda  of  Gotha  is  seeking  the  place  and  Schweit- 
zer is  also  an  applicant.    I  believe  this  would  be 
a  good  thing  for  me, — but  with  good  pay,  as  a 
matter  of  course.    If  the  Emperor  will  give  me 
a  thousand  florins,  I  will  write  a  German  opera 
for  him,  and  if  then  he  does  not  wish  to  retain 


78  Mozart 

me,  all  right.  I  beg  of  you,  write  to  all  the 
good  friends  in  Vienna  whom  you  can  think  of 
that  I  would  do  honor  to  the  Emperor.  If  there 
is  no  other  way  let  him  try  me  with  an  opera. 
Mannheim,  January  10,  1778,  to  his  father. 

125.  The  greatest  favor  that  Herr  Grimm 
showed  me  was  to  lend  me  15  Louis  d'Or  in  drib- 
lets at  the  (life  and)  death  of  my  blessed  mother. 
Is  he  fearful  that  the  loan  will  not  be  returned? 
If  so  he  truly  deserves  a  kick — for  he  shows  dis- 
trust of  my  honesty  (the  only  thing  that  can 
throw  me  into  a  rage),  and  also  of  my  talent. 

In  a  word  he  belongs  to  the  Italian 
party,  is  deceitful  and  is  seeking  to  oppress  me. 

Paris,  September  11,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  was  on 
a  friendly  footing  with  the  French  encyclopaedist  Grimm 
since  the  first  artistic  tour  made  with  little  Wolfgang  in 
1763,  when  he  owed  many  favors  to  Grimm.  Apparently 
Mozart  here  does  an  injustice  to  his  patron,  who,  it  is 
true,  thought  highly  of  the  Italian  Piccini. 

126.  On  my  honor,  I  can't  help  it;  it's  the 
kind  of  man  I  am.    Lately  when  he  spoke  to  me 
rudely,  foolishly  and  stupidly,  I  did  not  dare 
to  say  to  him  that  he  need  not  worry  about  the 
15  Louis  d'Or  for  fear  that  I  might  offend  him. 
I  did  nothing  but  endure  and  ask  if  he  were 
ready;  and  then — your  obedient  servant. 

Paris,  September  11,  1778,  to  his  father,  at  whose  re- 
quest Baron  Grimm  had  received  the  young  artist  in 
Paris,  but  at  the  same  time  had  exercised  a  sort  of  artis- 
tic guardianship  over  him.  Wolfgang  had  written  to  his 
father  as  early  as  August  27:  "  If  you  write  to  him  do 
not  be  too  humble  in  your  thanks; — there  are  reasons." 
On  another  occasion:  "Grimm  is  able  to  assist  children, 


Self-Respect  and  Honor  79 

but  not  adults.     Do  not  imagine  that  he  is  the  man  he 
was." 

127.  You  know  that  I  want  nothing  more 
than  good  employment, — good  in  character  and 
good  in  recompense,  let  it  be  where  it  will  if  the 
place  be  but  Catholic     .     .     . ;  but  if  the  Salz- 
burgians  want  me  they  must  satisfy  my  desires 
or  they  will  certainly  not  get  me. 

Paris,  July  3,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  wished  to  see  his 
son  in  the  service  of  the  archiepiscopal  court  at  Salzburg. 

128.  The  Prince  must  have  confidence  either 
in  you  or  me,  and  give  us  complete  control  of 
everything  relating  to  music;  otherwise  all  will 
be  in  vain.     For  in  Salzburg  everybody  or  no- 
body has  to  do  with  music.    If  I  were  to  under- 
take it  I  should  demand  free  hands.     In  mat- 
ters musical  the  Head  Court  Chamberlain  should 
have  nothing  to  say;  a  cavalier  can  not  be  a 
conductor,  but  a  conductor  can  well  be  a  cava- 
lier. 

Paris,  July  9,  1778. 

129.  If  the  Archbishop  were  to  entrust  it  to 
me  I  would  soon  make  his  music  famous,  that's 
sure.     .     .     .     But  I  have  one  request  to  make 
at  Salzburg,  and  that  is  that  I  shall  not  be 
placed  among  the  violins  where  I  used  to  be; 
I'll  never  make  a  fiddler.     I  will  conduct  at  the 
clavier  and  accompany  the  arias.    It  would  have 
been  a  good  thing  if  I  had  secured  a  written  as- 
surance of  the  conductorship. 

Paris,  September  11,  1778,  to  his  father  who  had  urged 
him  to  return  to  Salzburg  to  receive  an  appointment  to 


80  Mozart 

the  conductorship.  Mozart  seems  to  have  a  premonition 
of  the  treatment  which  he  received  later  from  the  Arch- 
bishop. 

130.  I  must  admit  that  I  should  reach  Salz- 
burg with  a  lighter  heart  if  I  were  not  aware 
that  I  have  taken  service  there;  it  is  only  this 
thought  that  is  intolerable.  Put  yourself  in 
my  place  and  think  it  over.  At  Salzburg  I  do 
not  know  who  or  what  I  am;  I  am  everything 
and  at  times  nothing.  I  do  not  demand  too 
much  or  too  little; — only  something,  if  I  am 
something. 

Strassburg,  October  15,  1778,  to  his  father,  while  re- 
turning from  Paris  filled  with  repugnance  to  the  Arch- 
bishop. "  For  aside  from  obeying  a  praiseworthy  and 
beautiful  motive"  (he  means  filial  affection),  "I  am 
really  committing  the  greatest  folly  in  the  world,"  he 
writes  in  the  same  letter. 

181.  The  Archbishop  can  not  recompense  me 
for  the  slavery  in  Salzburg!    As  I  have  said  I 
experience  great  pleasure  when  I  think  of  visit- 
ing you  again,  but  nothing  but  vexation  and 
fear  at  the  thought  of  seeing  myself  at  that 
beggarly  court  again.     The  Archbishop  must 
not  attempt  to  put  on  grand  airs  with  me  as  he 
used  to;  it  is  not  impossible,  it  is  even  likely 
that  I  would  put  my  fingers  to  my  nose, — and  I 
know  full  w.ell  that  you  would  enjoy  it  as  much 
as  I. 

Mannheim,  November  12,  1778,  to  his  father. 

182.  At  11  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  a  little 
too  early  for  me,  unfortunately,  we  already  go 
to  table;  we  dine  together,, — the  two  temporal 


Self-Respect  and  Honor          81 

and  spiritual  valets,  Mr.  the  Controller,  Mr. 
Zetti,  the  Confectioner,  Messrs,  the  two  cooks, 
Ceccarelli,  Brunetti  and  my  insignificance. 
N.B.  The  two  valets  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table ; 
I  have  at  least  the  honor  of  sitting  above  the 
cooks.  Well,  I  simply  think  I  am  at  Salzburg. 
At  dinner  a  great  many  coarse  and  silly  jokes 
are  cracked,  but  not  at  me,  because  I  do  not 
speak  a  word  unless  of  necessity  and  then  al- 
ways with  the  utmost  seriousness.  As  soon  as 
I  have  dined  I  go  my  way. 

Vienna,  March  17,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  Archbishop 
was  visiting  Vienna  and  had  brought  with  him  his  best 
musicians  whom,  however,  he  treated  shabbily.  At  length 
the  rupture  came;  Mozart  was  dismissed — literally  with  a 
kick. 

133.  Believe  me,  best  of  fathers,  that  I  must 
summon  all  my  manhood  to  write  to  you  what 
reason  commands.     God  knows  how  hard  it  is 
for  me  to  leave  you;  but  if  beggary  were  my 
lot  I  would  no  longer  serve  such  a  master;  for 
that  I  shall  never  forget  as  long  as  I  live, — and 
I  beg  of  you,  I  beg  of  you  for  the  sake  of 
everything  in  the  world,  encourage  me  in  my 
determination  instead  of  trying  to  dissuade  me. 
That  would  unfit  me  for  what  I  must  do.     For 
it  is  my  desire  and  hope  to  win  honor,  fame  and 
money,  and  I  hope  to  be  of  greater  service  to 
you  in  Vienna  than  in  Salzburg. 

Vienna,  May  12,  1781,  to  his  father. 

134.  I  did  not  know  that  I  was  a  valet  de 
chambre,  and  that  broke  my  neck.     I  ought  to 


82  Mozart 

have  wasted  a  few  hours  every  forenoon  in  the 
antechamber.  I  was  often  told  that  I  should 
let  myself  be  seen,  but  I  could  not  recall  that 
this  was  my  duty  and  came  punctually  only 
when  the  Archbishop  summoned  me. 
Vienna,  May  12,  1781. 

135.  To  please  you,  best  of  fathers,  I  would 
sacrifice  my  happiness,  my  health  and  my  life; 
but  my  honor  is  my  own,  and  ought  to  be  above 
all  else  to  you.     Let  Count  Arco  and  all  Salz- 
burg read  this  letter. 

Vienna,  May  19,  1781.  It  was  Count  Arco  who  had 
dismissed  Mozart  with  a  kick.  The  father  was  thrown 
into  consternation  at  the  maltreatment  of  his  son  and 
sought  to  persuade  Mozart  to  return  to  Salzburg.  Mozart 
replied :  "  Best,  dearest  father,  ask  of  me  anything  you 
please  but  not  that;  the  very  thought  makes  me  tremble 
with  rage." 

136.  You  did  not  think  when  you  wrote  this 
that  such  a  back-step  would  stamp  me  as  one 
of  the  most  contemptible  fellows  in  the  world. 
All  Vienna  knows  that  I  have  left  the  Arch- 
bishop, knows  why,  knows  that  it  is  because  of 
my  injured  honor,  of  an  injury  inflicted  three 
times, — and  I  am  to  make  a  public  denial,  pro- 
claim myself  a  cur  and  the  Archbishop  a  noble 
prince?     No  man  could  do  the  former,  least  of 
all  I,  and  the  second  can  only  be  done  by  God  if 
He  should  choose  to  enlighten  him. 

Vienna,  May  19,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  had  asked 
him  to  return  to  the  service  of  the  Archbishop. 

137.  If  it  be  happiness  to  be  rid  of  a  prince 
who  never  pays  one,  but  torments  him  to  death, 


Self-Respect  and  Honor  83 

then  I  am  happy.  For  if  I  had  to  work  from 
morning  till  night  I  would  do  it  gladly  rather 
than  live  off  the  bounty  of  such  a, — I  do  not 
dare  to  call  him  by  the  name  he  deserves, — I 
was  forced  to  take  the  step  I  did  and  I  can  not 
swerve  a  hair's  breadth  from  it;  impossible. 
Vienna,  May  19,  1781. 

138.  Salzburg  is  nothing  now  to  me  except 
it  offer  an  opportunity  to  give  the   Count   a 
kick     .     .     .     even    if    it   were   in    the    public 
street.     I  desire  no  satisfaction  from  the  Arch- 
bishop, for  he  is  not  in  a  position  to  offer  me  the 
kind  that  I  want  and  must  have.    Within  a  day 
or  two  I  shall  write  to  the  Count  telling  him 
what  he  can  confidently  expect  to  receive  from 
me  the  first  time  I  meet  him,  be  it  where  it  may, 
except  a  place  that  commands  my  respect. 

Vienna,  June  13,  1781,  to  his  father.  Count  Arco's 
offence  has  been  mentioned.  On  June  16  Mozart  wrote: 
"  The  hungry  ass  shall  not  escape  my  chastisement  if  I 
have  to  wait  twenty  years;  for  as  soon  as  I  see  him  he 
shall  come  in  contact  with  my  foot,  unless  I  should  be  so 
unfortunate  as  to  see  him  in  the  sanctuary."  [The  reader 
will  probably  guess  that  the  translator  is  resorting  to 
euphemisms  in  rendering  Mozart's  language.  H.  E.  K.] 

139.  It  is  the  heart  that  confers  the  patent  of 
nobility  on  man ;  and  although  I  am  no  count  I 
probably  have  more  honor  within  me  than  many 
a  count.     Menial  or  count,  whoever  insults  me 
is  a  cur.    I  shall  begin  by  representing  to  him, 
with  complete  gravity,  how  badly  he  did  his 
business,  but  at  the  end  I  shall  have  to  assure 
him  in  writing  that  he  is  to  expect  a  kick    .    .    . 


84  Mozart 

and  a  box  on  the  ear  from  me ;  for  if  a  man  in- 
sults me  I  have  got  to  be  revenged,  and  if  I 
give  him  no  more  than  he  gave  me,  it  is  mere 
retaliation  and  not  punishment.  Besides  I 
should  thus  put  myself  on  a  level  with  him,  and 
I  am  too  proud  to  compare  myself  with  such  a 
stupid  gelding. 

Vienna,  June  20,  1781,  to  his  father.  These  expres- 
sions, called  out  by  the  insulting  treatment  received  from 
the  Archbishop  and  Count  Arco,  are  in  striking  contrast 
to  Mozart's  habitual  amiability. 

140.  I  can  easily  believe  that  the  court  para- 
sites will  look  askance  at  you,  but  why  need  you 
disturb  yourself  about  such  a  miserable  pack? 
The  more  inimical  such  persons  are  to  you  the 
greater  the  pride  and  contempt  with  which  you 
should  look  down  upon  them. 

Vienna,  June  20,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  fears  that 
some  of  the  consequences  of  his  son's  step  may  be  visited 
upon  him. 

141.  I  do  not  ask  of  you  that  you  make  a 
disturbance  or  enter  the  least  complaint,  but 
the  Archbishop  and  the  whole  pack  must  fear 
to  speak  to  you  about  this  matter,  for  you  (if 
compelled)  can  without  the  slightest  alarm  say 
frankly   that   you   would  be   ashamed   to   have 
reared  a  son  who  would  have  accepted  abuse 
from  such  an  infamous  cur  as  Arco;  and  you 
may  assure  all  that  if  I  had  the  good  luck  to 
meet  him  to-day  I  should  treat  him  as  he  de- 
serves, and  that  he  would  have  occasion  to  re- 
member me  the  rest  of  his  life.    All  that  I  want 


Self-Respect  and  Honor  85 

is  that  everybody  shall  see  in  your  bearing  that 
you  have  nothing  to  fear.     Keep  quiet;  but  if 
necessary,  speak,  and  then  to  some  purpose. 
Vienna,  July  4,  1781,  to  his  father. 

142.  I  may  say  that  because  of  Vogler,  Win- 
ter was  always  my  greatest  enemy.     But  be- 
cause he  is  a  beast  in  his  mode  of  life,  and  in 
all  other  matters  a  child,  I  would  be  ashamed  to 
set  down  a  single  word  on  his  account;  he  de- 
serves the  contempt  of  all  honorable  men.     I 
will,  therefore,  not  tell  infamous  truths  rather 
than  infamous  lies  about  him. 

Vienna,  December  22,  1781,  to  his  father,  to  whose 
ears  Peter  Winter,  a  composer,  had  brought  slanderous 
reports  concerning  Mozart  and  his  Constanze.  Winter 
was  a  pupil  of  Abb6  Vogler.  See  No.  66. 

143.  He  is  a  nice  fellow  and  a  good  friend 
of  mine;  I  might  often  dine  with  him,  but  it  is 
a  custom  with  me  never  to  take  pay  for  my 
favors;  nor  would  a  dish  of  soup  pay  them. 
Yet  such  people  have  wonderful  notions  of  what 
they  accomplish  with  one.     .     .'    .     I  am  fond 
of  doing  favors  for  people  but  they  must  not 
plague  me.     She  (the  daughter)  is  not  satisfied 
if  I  spend  two  hours  every  day  with  her,  but 
wants  me  to  loll  about  the  whole  day;  yet  she 
tries  to  play  the  well  behaved  one. 

Vienna,  August  22,  1781,  to  his  father.  Mozart  is  writ- 
ing about  a  landlord  and  his  daughter  concerning  whom 
favorable  reports  had  reached  the  ears  of  the  father. 
Mozart  explains  matters  and  soon  thereafter  announces  a 
change  of  lodgings. 

144.  I  beg  of  you  that  when  you  write  to  me 


86  Mozart 

about  something  in  my  conduct  which  is  dis- 
pleasing to  you,  and  I  in  turn  give  you  my 
views,  let  it  always  be  a  matter  between  father 
and  son,  and  therefore  a  secret  not  to  be  di- 
vulged to  others.  Let  our  letters  suffice  and  do 
not  address  yourself  to  others,  for,  by  heaven, 
I  will  not  give  a  finger's  length  of  accounting 
concerning  my  doings  or  omissions  to  others, 
not  even  to  the  Emperor  himself.  I  have  cares 
and  anxieties  of  my  own  and  have  no  use  for 
petulant  letters. 

Vienna,  September  5,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  lent  a 
willing  ear  to  gossips  and  was  never  chary  of  his  re- 
proaches. Mozart  was  already  twenty-five  years  old. 

145.  If  I  were  Wiedmer  I  would  demand  the 
following  satisfaction  from  the  Emperor:  he 
should  endure  50  strokes  at  the  same  place  in 
my  presence  and  then  he  should  pay  me  6,000 
ducats.  If  I  could  not  obtain  this  satisfaction 
I  should  take  none,  but  thrust  a  dagger  through 
his  heart  at  the  first  opportunity.  N.B.  He 
has  already  had  an  offer  of  3,000  ducats  on  con- 
dition that  he  does  not  come  to  Vienna,  but  per- 
mits the  matter  to  drop.  The  people  of  Inns- 
bruck say  of  Wiedmer :  he  who  was  scourged  for 
our  sake  will  also  redeem  us. 

Vienna,  August  8,  1781,  to  his  father.  Herr  von 
Wiedmer  was  a  nobleman  and  theatre  director,  who,  with- 
out cause,  had  been  sentenced  to  a  whipping  by  the  presi- 
dent, Count  Wolkenstein,  on  the  complaint  of  another 
nobleman.  [Mozart's  bloodthirstiness  was  probably  due 
to  memories  of  Arco's  kick  still  rankling  in  his  heart.  It 
was  only  after  long  solicitation  from  his  father  that  he 


Self-Respect  and  Honor  87 

abandoned  his  plan  to  send  Arco  the  threatened  letter. 
H.  E.  K.] 

146.  You   perhaps    already   know   that   the 
musico  Marquesi — Marquesius  di  Milano — was 
poisoned  in  Naples ;  but  how !     He  was  in  love 
with  a  duchess  and  her  real  amant  grew  jealous 
and  sent  three  or  four  bravos  to  Marquesi  and 
left  him  the  choice  of  drinking  poison  or  being 
massacred.      He   chose   the   poison.      Being   a 
timid  Italian  he  died  alone  and  left  his  gentle- 
men murderers  to  live  in  rest  and  peace.     Had 
they  come  into  my  room,  I  would  have  taken  a 
few  of  them  with  me  into  the  other  world,  as 
long  as  some  one  had  to  die.    Pity  for  so  excel- 
lent a  singer! 

Munich,  December  30,  1780,  to  his  father.  Mozart,  on 
the  whole,  was  one  of  the  most  peaceable  men  on  earth, 
but  he  was  not  wanting  in  personal  courage,  and  he  could 
fly  into  transports  of  rage. 

147.  If  you  were  to  write  also  to  Prince  Zeil 
I  should  be  glad.    But  short  and  good.    Do  not 
by  any  means  crawl!     That  I  can  not  endure. 

Mannheim,  December  10,  1777,  to  his  father.  Count 
Ferdinand  von  Zeil  was  Prince  Bishop  of  Chimsee  and 
favorably  disposed  towards  Mozart,  who  was  hoping  for 
an  appointment  in  Munich.  "If  he  wants  to  do  some- 
thing he  can;  all  Munich  told  me  that."  Nothing  came 
of  it. 

148.  Whoever  judges  me  by  such  bagatelles 
is  also  a  scamp ! 

Mozart  wrote  many  occasional  pieces  for  his  friends,- 
fitting  them  to  the  players'  capacities.  Mozart  said  that 
the  publisher  who  bought  some  of  these  "  bagatelles  "  and 
printed  them  without  applying  to  him  was  a  scamp 
(Lump),  but  took  no  proceedings  against  him. 


88  Mozart 


149.  Very  well;  then  I  shall  earn  nothing 
more,  go  hungry  and  the  devil  a  bit  will  I  care ! 

Mozart's  answer  to  Hofmeister,  the  Leipsic  publisher, 
who  had  said:  "Write  in  a  more  popular  style  or  I  can 
neither  print  nor  pay  for  anything  of  yours." 


STRIVINGS    AND    LABORS 

150.  We  live  in  this  world  only  that  we  may 
go  onward  without  ceasing,  a  peculiar  help  in 
this  direction  being  that  one  enlightens  the  other 
by  communicating  his  ideas ;  in  the  sciences  and 
fine  arts  there  is  always  more  to  learn. 

Salzburg,  September  7,  1776,  to  Padre  Martini  of 
Bologna,  whose  opinion  he  asks  concerning  a  motet  which 
the  Archbishop  of  Salzburg  had  faulted. 

151.  I  am  just  now  reading  "  Telemachus ;  " 
I  am  in  the  second  part. 

Bologna,  September  8,  1770,  to  his  mother  and  sister. 

152.  Because  you  said  yesterday  that  you 
could  understand  anything,  and  that  I  might 
write  what  I  please  in  Latin,  curiosity  has  led 
me  to  try  you  with  some  Latin  lines.     Have  the 
kindness  when  you  have  solved  the  problem  to 
send  the  result  to  me  by  the  Hagenauer  servant 
maid. 

Cuperem  scire,  de  qua  causa,  a  quam  pluri- 
mis  adolescentibus  ottium  usque  adeo  aestime- 
tur,  ut  ipsi  se  nee  verbis,  nee  verberibus  ab  hoc 
sinant  abduct. 

The  Archiepiscopal  concertmaster,  aged  13,  writes  thus 
to  a  girl  friend. 

153.  Since  then  I  have  exercised  myself  daily 
in  the  French  language,  and  already  taken  three 
lessons  in  English.     In  three  months  I  hope  to 

89 


90  Mozart 


be  able  to  read  and  understand  the  English 
books  fairly  well. 

Vienna,  August  17,  1782,  to  his  father.  Mozart  had 
given  it  out  that  he  intended  to  go  to  Paris  or  London. 
Prince  Kaunitz  had  said  to  Archduke  Maximilian  that 
men  like  Mozart  lived  but  once  in  a  hundred  years,  and 
should  not  be  driven  out  of  Germany.  Mozart,  however, 
writes  to  his  father:  "But  I  do  not  want  to  wait  on 
charity;  I  find  that,  even  if  it  were  the  Emperor,  I  am 
not  dependent  on  his  bounty. 

154.  I  place  my  confidence  in  three  friends, 
and  they  are  strong  and  invincible  friends,  viz: 
God,  your  head  and  my  head.     True  our  heads 
differ,  but  each  is  very  good,  serviceable,  and 
useful  in  its  genre,  and  in  time  I  hope  that  my 
head  will  be  as  good  as  yours  in  the  field  in  which 
now  yours  is  superior. 

Mannheim,  February  28,  1778,  to  his  father. 

155.  Believe  me,  I  do  not  love  idleness,  but 
work.    True  it  was  difficult  in  Salzburg  and  cost 
me  an  effort  and  I  could  scarcely  persuade  my- 
self.    Why?     Because  I  was  not  happy  there. 
You  must  admit  that,  for  me  at  least,  there  was 
not  a  pennyworth  of  entertainment  in  Salzburg. 
I  do  not  want  to  associate  with  many  and  of  the 
majority  of  the  rest  I  am  not  fond.     There  is 
no  encouragement  for  my  talent !    If  I  play,  or 
one  of  my  compositions  is  performed,  the  audi- 
ence might  as  well  consist  of  tables  and  chairs. 

In  Salzburg  I  sigh  for  a  hundred 
amusements,  and  here  for  not  one;  to  live  in 
Vienna  is  amusement  enough. 

Vienna,  May  26,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  was  concerned 
as  to  the  progress  making  in  Vienna. 


Strivings  and  Labors  91 

156. 1  beg  of  you,  best  and  dearest  of  fathers, 
do  not  write  me  any  more  letters  of  this  kind, — 
I  conjure  you,  for  they  serve  no  other  purpose 
than  to  heat  my  head  and  disturb  my  heart  and 
mood.  And  I,  who  must  compose  continually, 
need  a  clear  head  and  quiet  mood. 

Vienna,  June  9,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  had  reproached 
him  because  of  his  rupture  with  the  Archbishop. 

157.  If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  I  was  not 
thinking  about  marriage  it  is  now.     I  wish  for 
nothing  less  than  a  rich  wife,  and  if  I  could 
make  my   fortune  by  marriage  now  I   should 
perforce  have  to  wait,  because  I  have  very  dif- 
ferent things  in  my  head.     God  did  not  give  me 
my  talent  to  put  it  a-dangle  on  a  wife,  and  spend 
my  young  life  in  inactivity.     I  am  just  begin- 
ing  life,  and  shall  I  embitter  it  myself?    I  have 
nothing  against  matrimony,  but  for  me  it  would 
be  an  evil  just  now. 

Vienna,  July  25,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  was  solicitous 
lest  he  fall  in  love  with  one  of  the  daughters  in  the  Weber 
family  with  whom  he  was  living.  All  manner  of  rumors 
had  been  carried  to  him.  The  father  persuaded  his  son 
to  seek  other  lodgings;  but  Constanze  Weber  eventually 
became  Mozart's  wife  nevertheless. 

158.  This  sort  of  composer  can  do  nothing 
in  this  genre.     He  has  no  conception  of  what  is 
wanted.     Lord !  if  God  had  only  given  me  such 
a  place  in  the  church  and  before  such  an  or- 
chestra ! 

A  remark  made  in  Leipsic,  in  1789,  in  reference  to  a 
composer  who  was  suited  to  comic  opera  work,  but  had 
received  an  appointment  as  Church  composer.  Mozart 
examined  a  mass  of  his  and  said:  "It  sounds  all  very 


92  Mozart 

well,  but  not  in  church."  He  then  played  it  through  with 
new  words  improvised  by  himself,  such  as  (in  the  Cum 
sancto  spiritu)  "  Stolen  property,  gentlemen,  but  no 
offence." 

159.  You  see  my  intentions  are  good ;  but  if 
you  can't,  you  can't !  I  do  not  want  to  scribble, 
and  therefore  can  not  send  you  the  whole  sym- 
phony before  next  post  day. 

Vienna,  July  31,  1782,  to  his  father,  who  had  asked 
for  a  symphony  for  the  Hafner  family  in  Salzburg. 

160.  I  do  not  beg  pardon;  no!     But  I  beg 
of  Herr  Bullinger  that  he  himself  apply  to  him- 
self for  pardon  in  my  behalf,  with  the  assurance 
that  as  soon  as  I  can  do  so  in  quiet  I  shall  write 
to  him.    Until  now  no  such  occasion  has  offered 
itself,  for  as  soon  as  I  know  that  in  all  likelihood 
I  must  leave  a  place  I  have  no  restful  hour. 
And  although  I  still  have  a  modicum  of  hope, 
I  am  not  at  ease  and  shall  not  be  until  I  know 
my  status. 

Mannheim,  November  22,  1777,  to  his  father.  Abb6 
Bullinger  was  the  most  intimate  friend  that  the  Mozart 
family  had  in  Salzburg.  Mozart  had  been  negligent  in 
his  correspondence. 

161.  To  live  well  and  to  live  happily  are  dif- 
ferent things,  and  the  latter  would  be  impossible 
for  me  without  witchcraft;  it  would  have  to  be 
supernatural;  and  that  is  impossible  for  there 
are  no  witches  now-a-days. 

Paris,  August  7,  1778,  to  his  friend  Bullinger,  who  had 
sought  to  persuade  him  to  return  to  Salzburg. 

162.  The  Duke  de  Chabot  sat  himself  down 
beside  me  and  listened  attentively ;  and  I — I  for- 


Strivings  and  Labors  93 

got  the  cold,  and  the  headache  and  played  re- 
gardless of  the  wretched  clavier  as  I  play  when 
I  am  in  the  mood.  Give  me  the  best  clavier  in 
Europe  and  at  the  same  time  hearers  who  under- 
stand nothing  or  want  to  understand  nothing, 
and  who  do  not  feel  what  I  play  with  me,  and 
all  my  joy  is  gone. 

Paris,  May  1,  1778,  to  his  father.  The  Duchess  had 
behaved  very  haughtily  and  kept  Mozart  sitting  in  a  cold 
room  for  a  long  time  before  the  Duke  came. 


AT    HOME    AND    ABROAD 

163.  I  assure  you  that  without  travel  we  (at 
least  men  of  the  arts  and  sciences)  are  miserable 
creatures.     A  man  of  mediocre  talent  will  re- 
main mediocre  whether  he  travel  or  not;  but  a 
man  of  superior  talent  (which  I  can  not  deny 
I  am,  without  doing  wrong)  deteriorates  if  he 
remains  continually  in  one  place. 

Paris,  September  11,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  had  se- 
cured an  appointment  for  him  at  Salzburg  which  he  was 
loath  to  accept.  He  asked  that  the  Archbishop  permit 
him  to  travel  once  in  two  years.  He  feared  that  he 
"would  find  no  congenial  society"  in  Salzburg,  where, 
moreover,  music  did  not  stand  in  large  appreciation.  Mo- 
zart's subsequent  experiences  were  of  the  most  pitiable 
character. 

164.  Write  me,  how  is  Mr.  Canary?     Does 
he  still  sing  ?    Does  he  still  pipe  ?    Do  you  know 
why  I  am  thinking  of  the  canary?     Because 
there  is  one  in  our  anteroom  that  makes  the 
same  little  sounds  as  ours. 

Naples,  May  19,  1770,  to  his  sister.  Mozart  was  very 
fond  of  animals.  In  a  letter  from  Vienna  to  his  sister 
on  August  21,  1773,  he  writes:  "How  is  Miss  Bimbes? 
Please  present  all  manner  of  compliments  to  her."  "  Miss 
Bimbes  "  was  a  dog.  At  another  time  he  wrote  a  pathetic 
little  poem  on  the  death  of  a  starling.  While  in  the  midst 
of  the  composition  and  rehearsal  of  "  Idomeneo  "  he  wrote 
to  his  father:  "Give  Pimperl  (a  dog)  a  pinch  of  Spanish 
snuff,  a  good  wine-biscuit  and  three  busses." 

165.  Because  of  my  disposition  which  leans 
towards  a  quiet,  domestic  life  rather  than  to 

95 


96  Mozart 

boisterousness,  and  the  fact  that  since  my  youth 
I  have  never  given  a  thought  to  my  linen,  cloth- 
ing or  such  things,  I  can  think  of  nothing  more 
necessary  than  a  wife.  I  assure  you  that  I  fre- 
quently spend  money  unnecessarily  because  I 
am  negligent  of  these  things.  I  am  convinced 
that  I  could  get  along  better  than  I  do  now  on 
the  same  income  if  I  had  a  wife.  How  many 
unnecessary  expenditures  would  be  saved? 
Others  are  added,  it  is  true,  but  you  know  in  ad- 
vance what  they  are  and  can  adjust  them; — 
in  a  word  you  lead  a  regulated  life.  In  my  opin- 
ion an  unmarried  man  lives  only  half  a  life ;  that 
is  my  conviction  and  I  can  not  help  it.  I  have 
resolved  the  matter  over  and  over  in  my  mind 
and  am  of  the  same  opinion  still. 

Vienna,  December  15,  1781,  to  his  father. 

166.  At  present  I  have  only  one  pupil.    .    .    . 
I  could  have  several  if  I  were  to  lower  my  fee; 
but  as  soon  as  one  does  that  one  loses  credit. 
My  price  is  twelve  lessons  for  six  ducats,  and  I 
make  it  understood  besides  that  I  give  the  les- 
sons as  a  favor.     I  would  rather  have  three  pu- 
pils who  pay  well  than  six  who  pay  ill.     I  am 
writing  this  to  you  to  prevent  you  from  think- 
ing that  it  is  selfishness  which  prevents  me  from 
sending  you  more  than  thirty  ducats. 

Vienna,  June  16,  1781,  to  his  father.  [In  American 
money  Mozart's  fee  is  represented  by  $1.20  per  lesson. 
H.  E.  K.] 

167.  I  could  not  go  about  Vienna  looking  like 
a  tramp,  particularly  just  at  this  time.     My 


At  Home  and  Abroad  97 

linen  was  pitiable;  no  servant  here  has  shirts  of 
such  coarse  stuff  as  mine, — and  that  certainly 
is  a  frightful  thing  for  a  man.  Consequently 
there  were  again  expenditures.  I  had  only  one 
pupil ;  she  suspended  her  lessons  for  three  weeks, 
and  I  was  again  the  loser.  One  must  not  throw 
one's  self  away  here, — that  is  a  first  principle, — 
or  one  is  ruined  forever.  The  most  audacious 
man  wins  the  day. 

Vienna,  September  5,  1781,  to  his  father,  excusing 
himself  for  not  having  made  remittances. 

168.  Resent  anything  and  at  once  you  re- 
ceive smaller  pay.    Besides  all  this  the  Emperor 
is  a  skinflint.     If  the  Emperor  wants  me  he 
ought  to  pay  for  me;  the  mere  honor  of  being 
in  his  employ  is  not  enough.     If  the  Emperor 
were  to  offer  me  1,000  florins  and  a  count  2,000, 
I  should  present  my  compliments  to  the  Em- 
peror and  go  to  the  count, — assuming  a  guar- 
antee, of  course. 

Vienna,  April  10,  1782,  to  his  father.  Mozart  was  not 
too  industrious  in  the  pursuit  of  a  court  appointment,  yet 
had  reason  to  be  hopeful.  Near  the  end  of  his  short  life 
the  appointment  came  from  Joseph  II,  to  whom  Mozart 
had  been  too  faithful. 

169.  I  described  my  manner  of  life  to  my 
father  only  recently,  and  I  will  now  repeat  it  to 
you.    At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  am  already 
done  with  my  friseur,  and  at  seven  I  am  fully 
dressed.      Thereupon    I    compose    until    nine 
o'clock.     From  nine  to  one  I  give  lessons ;  then 
I  eat  unless  I  am  a  guest  at  places  where  they 
dine  at  two  or  even  three  o'clock, — as,  for  in- 


98  Mozart 

stance,  to-day  and  to-morrow  with  Countess 
Zichy  and  Countess  Thun.  I  can  not  work  before 
five  or  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  and  I  am  often 
prevented  even  then  by  a  concert ;  if  not  I  write 
till  nine.  Then  I  go  to  my  dear  Constanze, 
where  the  delight  of  our  meeting  is  generally 
embittered  by  the  words  of  her  mother; — hence 
my  desire  to  free  and  save  her  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. At  half  after  ten  or  eleven  I  am  again  at 
home.  Since  (owing  to  the  occasional  concerts 
and  the  uncertainty  as  to  whether  or  not  I  may 
be  called  out)  I  can  not  depend  on  having  time 
for  composition  in  the  evening,  I  am  in  the  habit 
(particularly  when  I  come  home  early)  of  writ- 
ing something  before  I  go  to  bed.  Frequently 
I  forget  myself  and  write  till  one  o'clock, — then 
up  again  at  six. 

Vienna,  February  13,  1782,  to  his  sister  Marianne — 
Xannerl,  as  he  called  her. 

170.  We  do  not  go  to  bed  before  152  o'clock 
and  get  up  half  after  five  or  five,  because  nearly 
every  day  we  take  an  early  walk  in  the  Au- 
garten. 

Vienna,  May  26,  1784,  to  his  father,  to  whom  he  com- 
plains of  his  maid-servant  who  came  from  Salzburg  and 
who  had  written  to  the  father  that  she  was  not  permitted 
to  sleep  except  between  11  and  6  o'clock. 

171.  Now  as  to  my  mode  of  life:  As  soon  as 
you  were  gone  I  played  two  games  of  billiards 
with  Herr  von  Mozart  who  wrote  the  opera  for 
Schickaneder's  theatre;  then  I  sold  my  nag  for 
fourteen  ducats;  then  I  had  Joseph  call  my 


At  Home  and  Abroad  99 

primus  and  bring  a  black  coffee,  to  which  I 
smoked  a  glorious  pipe  of  tobacco.  .  .  .  At 
5 :30  I  went  out  of  the  door  and  took  my  favor- 
ite promenade  through  the  Glacis  to  the  theatre. 
What  do  I  see?  What  do  I  smell?  It  is  the 
primus  with  the  cutlet  Gusto!  I  eat  to  your 
health.  It  has  just  struck  11  o'clock.  Perhaps 
you  are  already  asleep.  Sh !  sh !  sh !  I  do  not 
want  to  wake  you. 

Saturday,  the  8th.  You  ought  to  have  seen 
me  yesterday  at  supper !  I  could  not  find  the 
old  dishes  and  therefore  produced  a  set  as  white 
as  snow-flowers  and  had  the  wax  candelabra  in 
front  of  me. 

Vienna,  October  7,  1791,  to  his  wife,  who  was  taking 
the  waters  at  Baden.  Mozart  was  fond  of  billiards  and 
often  played  alone  as  on  this  occasion.  He  was  careful 
of  his  health  and  had  been  advised  by  his  physician  to 
ride;  but  he  could  not  acquire  a  taste  for  the  exercise — 
hence  the  sale  of  his  horse.  The  primus  was  his  valet,  a 
servant  found  in  every  Viennese  household  at  the  time. 
Out  of  the  door  through  which  he  stepped  on  beginning 
his  walk  to  the  theatre  his  funeral  procession  passed  two 
months  later. 

172.  I  have  done  more  work  during  the  ten 
days  that  I  have  lived  here  than  in  two  months 
in  any  other  lodgings ;  and  if  it  were  not  that 
I  am  too  often  harassed  by  gloomy  thoughts 
which  I  can  dispel  only  by  force,  I  could  do  still 
more,   for   I  live   pleasantly,   comfortably   and 
cheaply. 

Vienna,  June  27,  1788,  to  his  friend  Puchberg. 

173.  I  have  no  conveniences  for  writing  there 
(i.e.  at  Baden),  and  I  want  to  avoid  embarrass- 


100  Mozart 

ments  as  much  as  possible.  Nothing  is  more  en- 
joyable than  a  quiet  life  and  to  obtain  that  one 
must  be  industrious.  I  am  glad  to  be  that. 

Vienna,  October  8,  1791,  to  his  wife  at  Baden.  Mozart 
probably  refers  to  work  on  his  "  Requiem."  He  says 
further:  "  If  I  had  had  nothing  to  do  I  would  have  gone 
with  you  to  spend  the  week." 

174.  Now  the  babe  against  my  will,  yet  with 
my  consent,  has  been  provided  with  a  wet  nurse. 
It  was  always  my  determination  that,  whether 
she  was  able  to  do  so  or  not,  my  wife  was  not  to 
suckle  her  child;  but  neither  was  the  child  to 
guzzle  the  milk  of  another  woman.     I  want  it 
brought  up  on  water  as  I  and  my  sister  were, 
but     ... 

Vienna,  June  8,  1783,  to  his  father,  the  day  after  his 
first  child  was  born.  The  "  Dear,  thick,  fat  little  fellow  " 
died  soon  after. 

175.  Young  as  I  am,  I  never  go  to  bed  with- 
out thinking  that  possibly  I  may  not  be  alive 
on  the  morrow;  yet  not  one  of  the  many  per- 
sons who  know  me  can  say  that  I  am  morose  or 
melancholy.   For  this  happy  disposition  I  thank 
my  Creator  daily,  and  wish  with  all  my  heart 
that  it  were  shared  by  all  my  fellows. 

Vienna,  April  4,  1787,  to  his  father,  shortly  before  the 
latter's  death.  Mozart  himself  died  when  he  was  not 
quite  thirty-six  years  old. 

176.  If  it  chances  to  be  convenient  I  shall 
call  on  the  Fischers  for  a  moment;  longer  than 
that  I  could  not  endure  their  warm  room  and 
the  wine  at  table.    I  know  very  well  that  people 
of  their  class  think  they  are  bestowing  the  high- 


At  Home  and  Abroad          101 


est  honors  when  they  offer  these  things,  but  I 
am  not  fond  of  such  things, — still  less  of  such 
people. 

Vienna,  December  22,  1781,  to  his  sister.  Mozart  was 
acquainted  with  the  Fischer  family  from  the  time  of  his 
first  journeys  as  a  child.  The  contrast  which  he  draws 
between  the  artist  and  the  comfort-loving,  commonplace 
citizen  is  diverting. 

177.  The   Viennese  are   a  people  who   soon 
grow  weary  and  listless, — but  only  of  the  thea- 
tre.    My  forte  is  too  popular  to  be  neglected. 
This,  surely,  is  Clavierland! 

Spoken  to  Count  Arco  who  had  warned  him  against 
removing  to  Vienna  because  of  the  fickleness  of  the 
Viennese  public.  He  wanted  him  to  return  to  Salzburg. 

178.  I  am  writing  at  a  place  called  Reisen- 
berg  which  is  an  hour's  distance  from  Vienna. 
I  once  stayed  here  over  night;  now  I  shall  re- 
main a  few  days.     The  house  is  insignificant, 
but   the   surroundings,   the   woods   in   which   a 
grotto  has  been  built  as  natural  as  can  be,  are 
splendid  and  very  pleasant. 

Vienna,  July  13,  1781,  to  his  father.  Like  Beethoven, 
Mozart  loved  nature  and  wanted  a  garden  about  his  home. 

179.  I  wish  that  my  sister  were  here  in  Rome. 
I  am  sure  she  would  be  pleased  with  the  city,  for 
St.  Peter's  church  is  regular,  and  many  other 
things  in  Rome  are  regular. 

Rome,  April  14,  1770.  A  droll  criticism  from  the 
travelling  virtuoso,  aged  14,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother  and 
sister. 

180.  Carefully  thinking  it  over  I  conclude 
that  in  no  country  have  I  received  so  many  hon- 


102  Mozart 

ors  or  been  so  highly  appreciated  as  in  Italy. 
You  get  credit  in  Italy  if  you  have  written  an 
opera, — especially  in  Naples. 

Munich,  October  11,  1777,  to  his  father.  An  influential 
friend  had  offered  to  help  him  get  an  appointment  in 
Italy. 

181.  Strassburg  can't  get  along  without  me. 
You  have  no  idea  how  I  am  honored  and  loved 
here.     The  people  say  that  everything  I  do  is 
refined,  that  I  am  so  sedate  and  courteous  and 
have  so  good  a  bearing.     Everybody  knows  me. 

Strassburg,  October  26,  1778,  to  his  father,  on  his  re- 
turn journey  from  Paris.  On  October  3  he  had  written: 
"  I  beg  your  pardon  if  I  cannot  write  much.  It  is  be- 
cause, unless  I  am  in  a  city  in  which  I  am  well  known,  I 
am  never  in  a  good  humor.  If  I  were  acquainted  here  I 
would  gladly  stay,  for  the  city  is  truly  charming — beau- 
tiful houses,  handsome  broad  streets,  and  superb  squares. 

182.  Oh,  what  a  difference  between  the  people 
of  the  Palatinate  and  of  Bavaria !    What  a  lan- 
guage!    How  coarse!     To  say  nothing  of  the 
mode  of  life ! 

Mannheim,  November  12,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart, 
while  returning  from  Paris,  had  stopped  at  his  "  dear 
Mannheim,"  where  at  the  moment  a  regiment  of  Bavarian 
soldiers  were  quartered,  and  had  just  got  news  of  the 
rudeness  with  which  the  people  of  Munich  had  treated 
their  Elector. 

183.  In  Regensburg  we  dined  magnificently 
at  noon,  listened  to  divine  table  music,  had  an- 
gelic   service   and    glorious    Mosel    wine.      We 
breakfasted    in    Nuremberg, — a    hideous    city. 
At   Wiirzburg  we   strengthened   our   stomachs 
with  coffee;  a  beautiful,  a  splendid  city.     The 
charges  were  moderate  everywhere.     Only  two 


At  Home  and  Abroad          103 


post  relays  from  here,  in  As  chaff  enburg,  the 
landlord  swindled  us  shamefully. 

Frankfort-on-the-Main,  September  29,  1790,  to  his 
wife.  The  remark  is  notable  because  of  the  judgments 
pronounced  on  the  renaissance  city  Nuremberg,  and  the 
rococo  city  Wiirzburg. 

184.  All  the  talk  about  the  imperial  cities  is 
mere  boasting.  I  am  famous,  admired  and  loved 
here,  it  is  true,  but  the  people  are  worse  than 
the  Viennese  in  their  parsimony. 

Mozart  went  to  Frankfort,  in  1790,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  coronation  of  the  emperor,  hoping  to  make  enough 
money  with  concerts  to  help  himself  out  of  financial  diffi- 
culties, but  failed. 


LOVE    AND    FRIENDSHIP 

Mozart's  love  for  his  father  made  him  depend- 
ent on  the  latter  to  the  end  of  his  days.  He 
was  a  model  son  and  must  have  loved  his  wife 
devotedly,  since,  for  her  sake,  he  once  in  his  life 
disobeyed  his  father.  The  majority  of  his  let- 
ters which  have  been  preserved  are  addressed  to 
his  father,  to  whom  he  reported  all  his  happen- 
ings and  whose  advice  he  is  forever  seeking. 
Similar  were  his  relations  with  his  sister  Mari- 
anne (Nannerl),  whom  he  loved  with  great  ten- 
derness. The  letters  to  his  wife  are  unique; 
all  of  them,  even  the  last,  seem  to  be  the  letters 
of  a  lover.  They  were  a  pair  of  turtle-doves. 

Mozart  was  an  ideal  friend,  ready  to  sacri- 
fice to  the  uttermost  on  the  altar  of  friendship. 
It  was  this  trait  of  character  which  made  him 
throw  himself  with  enthusiasm  into  Freema- 
sonry, whose  affiliations  he  sought  to  widen  by 
drafting  the  constitution  of  a  community  which 
he  called  "  The  Grotto."  He  probably  hated 
only  one  man  in  the  world, — the  Archbishop  of 
Salzburg,  his  tormentor. 

185.  The  moment  you  do  not  trust  me  I  shall 

distrust  myself.     The  time  is  past,  it  is  true, 

when  I  used  to  stand  on  the  settle,  sing  oragna 

fiagata  fa  and  kiss  the  tip  end  of  your  nose ;  but 

105 


106  Mozart 


have  I  therefore  shown  laxity  in  respect,  love 
and  obedience?    I  say  no  more. 

Mannheim,  February  19,  1779,  to  his  father,  who  was 
vexed  because  Mozart  was  showing  a  disposition  to  stay 
in  Mannheim,  because  of  a  love  affair,  instead  of  going 
to  Paris.  "  Oif  with  you  to  Paris,  and  soon ! "  wrote  the 
father.  The  Italian  words  are  meaningless  and  but  a  bit 
of  child's  play,  the  nature  of  which  can  be  gathered  from 
Mozart's  remark. 

186.  Pray  do  not  let  your  mind  often  harbor 
the  thought  that  I  shall  ever  forget  you !     It  is 
intolerable  to  me.    My  chief  aim  in  life  has  been, 
is,  and  will  be  to  strive  so  that  we  may  soon  be 
reunited  and  happy.      .      .      .     Reflect  that  you 
have  a  son  who  will  never  consciously  forget  his 
filial  duty  toward  you,  and  who  will  labor  ever 
to  grow  more  worthy  of  so  good  a  father. 

Mannheim,  February  28,  1778,  to  his  father. 

187.  The  first  thing  I  did  after  reading  your 
letter  was  to  go  on  my  knees,  and,  out  of  a  full 
heart,  thank  my  dear  God  for  this  mercy.    Now 
I  am  again  at  peace,  since  I  know  that  I  need  no 
longer  be  concerned  about  the  two  persons  who 
are  the  dearest  things  on  earth  to  me. 

Paris,  Juy  31,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  had  written  that 
he  and  Nannerl  had  comforted  each  other  on  the  death 
of  his  mother. 

188.  Dearest,  best  of  fathers!     I  wish  you 
all  conceivable  good;  whatever  can  be  wished, 
that  I  wish  you, — but  no,  I  wish  you  nothing, 
but  myself  everything.   For  myself,  then,  I  wish 
that  you  remain  well  and  live  innumerable  years 
to  my  great  happiness  and  pleasure ;  I  wish  that 


Love  and  Friendship  107 

everything  that  I  undertake  may  agree  with 
your  desire  and  liking, — or,  rather,  that  I  may 
undertake  nothing  which  might  not  turn  out  to 
your  joy.  This  also  I  hope,  for  whatever  adds 
to  the  happiness  of  your  son  must  naturally  be 
agreeable  also  to  you. 

Vienna,  November  16,  1781,  to  his  father,  congratu- 
lating him  on  his  name-day.  On  March  17,  1778,  Mozart 
had  written  from  Mannheim :  "  Your  accuracy  extends  to 
all  things.  '  Papa  comes  directly  after  God '  was  my 
maxim  as  a  child  and  I  shall  stick  to  it." 

189.  Our  little  cousin  is  pretty,  sensible,  ami- 
able, clever  and  merry,  all  because  she  has  been 
in  society ;  she  visited  Munich  for  a  while.    You 
are  right,  we  suit  each  other  admirably,  for  she, 
too,  is  a  bit  naughty.    We  play  great  pranks  on 
the  people  hereabouts. 

Augsburg,  October  17,  1777,  to  his  father.  The  "  little 
cousin  "  was  two  years  younger  than  Mozart.  Her  father 
was  a  master  bookbinder  in  Augsburg.  The  maiden 
seems  later  to  have  had  serious  designs  on  the  composer. 

190.  I  shall  be  right  glad  when  I  meet  a  place 
in  which  there  is  a  court.     I  tell  you  that  if  I 
did  not  have  so  fine  a  Mr.   Cousin  and  Miss 
Cousin  and  so  dear  a  little  cousin,  my  regrets 
that  I  am  in  Augsburg  would  be  as  numerous  as 
the  hairs  of  my  head. 

Augsburg,  October  17,  1777,  to  his  father,  whose  birth- 
place he  was  visiting  on  a  concert  tour.  Mozart  was 
vexed  at  the  insolence  of  the  patricians. 

191.  In  the  case  of  Frau  Lange  I  was  a  fool, 
— that's  certain ;  but  what  is  a  fellow  not  when 

he's  in  love?     I  did  really  love  her,  and  am  not 


108  Mozart 

indifferent  toward  her  even  now.  It's  lucky  for 
me  that  her  husband  is  a  jealous  fool  and  never 
permits  her  to  go  anywhere,  so  that  I  seldom 
see  her. 

Vienna,  May  12,  1781,  to  his  father,  at  the  time  when 
he  was  being  outrageously  treated  by  the  Archbishop. 
Frau  Lange  was  Aloysia  Weber,  sister  of  Constanze,  to 
whom  Mozart  transferred  his  love  and  whom  he  made  his 
wife.  Aloysia  married  an  actor  at  the  Court  Theatre, 
Josef  Lange,  with  whom  she  lived  unhappily. 

192.  I  will  not  say  that  when  at  the  house  of 
the  Mademoiselle  to  whom  I  seem  already  to 
have  been  married  off,  I  am  morose  and  silent; 
but  neither  am  I  in  love.     I  jest  with  her  and 
amuse  her  when  I  have  time  (which  is  only  even- 
ings when  I  sup  at  home,  for  in  the  forenoons  I 
write  in  my  room  and  in  the  afternoons  I  am 
seldom  at  home)  ;  only  that  and  nothing  more. 
If  I  were  obliged  to  marry  all  the  girls  with 
whom  I  have  jested  I  should  have  at  least  200 
wives. 

Vienna,  July  25,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  had  heard  all 
manner  of  tales  concerning  the  relations  of  Mozart  and 
Constanze  Weber. 

193.  My  good,  dear  Constanze  is  the  martyr, 
and,   perhaps   for  that  very   reason,   the  best 
hearted,  cleverest,  and  (in  a  word)  the  best  of 
them   all.      She   assumes    all   the   cares    of   the 
house,  and  yet  does  not  seem  able  to  accomplish 
anything.      O,  best   of   fathers,   I  could  write 
pages  if  I  were  to  tell  you  all  the  scenes  that 
have  taken  place  in  this  house  because  of  us 
two.     .     .     .     Constanze  is  not  ugly,  but  any- 


Love  and  Friendship  109 

thing  but  beautiful;  all  her  beauty  consists  of 
two  little  black  eyes  and  a  handsome  figure. 
She  is  not  witty  but  has  enough  common  sense 
to  be  able  to  perform  her  duties  as  wife  and 
mother.  She  is  not  inclined  to  finery, — that  is 
utterly  false;  on  the  contrary,  she  is  generally 
ill  clad,  for  the  little  that  the  mother  was  able 
to  do  for  her  children  was  done  for  the  other 
two — nothing  for  her.  True  she  likes  to  be 
neatly  and  cleanly,  though  not  extravagantly, 
dressed,  and  she  can  herself  make  most  of  the 
clothes  that  a  woman  needs ;  she  also  dresses  her 
own  hair  every  day,  understands  housekeeping, 
has  the  best  heart  in  the  world, — tell  me,  could 
I  wish  a  better  wife? 

Vienna,  December  15,  1781,  to  his  father.  Constanze 
seems  to  have  been  made  for  Mozart;  they  went  through 
the  years  of  their  brief  wedded  life  like  two  children. 

194.  Dearest,  best  of  friends! 

Surely  you  will  let  me  call  you  that?  You 
can  not  hate  me  so  greatly  as  not  to  permit  me 
to  be  your  friend,  and  yourself  to  become  mine? 
And  even  if  you  do  not  want  to  be  my  friend 
longer,  you  can  not  forbid  me  to  think  kindly 
of  you  as  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  doing. 
Consider  well  what  you  said  to  me  to-day.  De- 
spite my  entreaties  you  gave  me  the  mitten  three 
times  and  told  me  to  my  face  that  you  would 
have  nothing  further  to  do  with  me.  I,  to  whom 
it  is  not  such  a  matter  of  indifference  as  it  is 
to  you  to  lose  a  sweetheart,  am  not  so  hot  tem- 
pered, inconsiderate  or  unwise  as  to  accept  that 


110  Mozart 

mitten.  I  love  you  too  dearly  for  that.  I  there- 
fore beg  you  to  ponder  on  the  cause  of  your  in- 
dignation. A  little  confession  of  your  thought- 
less conduct  would  have  made  all  well, — if  you 
do  not  take  it  ill,  dear  friend,  may  still  make 
all  well.  From  this  you  see  how  much  I  love 
you.  I  do  not  flare  up  as  you  do;  I  think,  I 
consider,  and  I  feel.  If  you  have  any  feeling 
I  am  sure  that  I  will  be  able  to  say  to  myself 
before  night:  Constanze  is  the  virtuous,  honor- 
loving,  sensible  and  faithful  sweetheart  of  just 
and  well-meaning  Mozart. 

Vienna,  April  29,  1782,  to  his  fiancee,  Constanze 
Weber.  She  had  played  at  a  game  of  forfeits  such  as 
was  looked  upon  lightly  by  the  frivolous  society  of  the 
period  in  Vienna.  Mozart  rebuked  her  and  she  broke  off 
the  engagement.  The  letter  followed  and  soon  thereafter 
a  reconciliation.  Mozart  had  said  to  her :  "  No  girl  who 
is  jealous  of  her  honor  would  do  such  a  thing." 

195.  She  is  an  honest,  good  girl  of  decent 
parents; — I    am    able    to    provide    her    with 
bread; — we    love    each    other    and    want    each 
other !     ...     It  is  better  to  put  one's  things 
to  rights  and  be  an  honest  fellow! — God  will 
give  the  reward!     I  do  not  want  to  have  any- 
thing to  reproach  myself  with. 

Vienna,  July  31,  1782,  to  his  father,  who  had  given  his 
consent,  hesitatingly  and  unwillingly,  to  the  marriage  of 
his  son  who  was  twenty-six  years  old.  On  August  7 
Mozart  wrote  to  him :  "  I  kiss  your  hands  and  thank  you 
with  all  the  tenderness  which  a  son  should  feel  for  his 
father,  for  your  kind  permission  and  paternal  blessing." 

196.  If  I  were  to  tell  you  all  the  things  that 
I  do  with  your  portrait,  you  would  laugh  heart- 


Love  and  Friendship  111 

ily.  For  instance  when  I  take  it  out  of  its  prison 
house  I  say  "  God  bless  you,  Stanzerl !  God 
bless  you,  you  little  rascal, — Krallerballer — 
Sharpnose — little  Bagatelle !  "  And  when  I  put 
it  back  I  let  it  slip  down  slowly  and  gradually 
and  say  "  Nu, — Nu, — Nu, — Nu ;  "  but  with 
the  emphasis  which  this  highly  significant  word 
demands,  and  at  the  last,  quickly :  "  Good-night, 
little  Mouse,  sleep  well !  "  Now,  I  suppose,  I 
have  written  down  a  lot  of  nonsense  (at  least 
so  the  world  would  think)  ;  but  for  us,  who  love 
each  other  so  tenderly,  it  isn't  altogether  silly. 
Dresden,  April  13,  1789,  to  his  wife  in  Vienna. 

197.  Dear  little  wife,  I  have  a  multitude  of 
requests ;  Imo,  I  beg  of  you  not  to  be  sad. 

%do,  that  you  take  care  of  your  health  and 
not  trust  the  spring  air. 

3tio,  that  you  refrain  from  walking  out 
alone,  or,  better,  do  not  walk  out  at  all. 

4to,  that  you  rest  assured  of  my  love.  Not 
a  letter  have  I  written  to  you  but  that  your  por- 
trait was  placed  in  front  of  mine. 

5to,  I  beg  of  you  to  consider  not  only  my 
honor  and  yours  in  your  conduct  but  also  in 
appearances.  Do  not  get  angry  because  of  this 
request.  You  ought  to  love  me  all  the  more  be- 
cause I  make  so  much  of  honor. 

Dresden,  April  16,  1789,  to  his  wife,  in  Vienna,  who 
was  fond  of  life's  pleasures. 

198.  You  can  not  imagine  how  slowly  time 
goes  when  you  are  not  with  me !    I  can't  describe 


112  Mozart 

the  feeling ;  there  is  a  sort  of  sense  of  emptiness, 
which  hurts — a  certain  longing  which  can  not 
be  satisfied,  and  hence  never  ends,  but  grows 
day  by  day.  When  I  remember  how  childishly 
merry  we  were  in  Baden,  and  what  mournful, 
tedious  hours  I  pass  here,  my  work  gives  me 
no  pleasure,  because  it  is  not  possible  as  was  my 
wont,  to  chat  a  few  words  with  you  when  stop- 
ping for  a  moment.  If  I  go  to  the  Clavier  and 
sing  something  from  the  opera  ("  Die  Zauber- 
flb'te  " )  I  must  stop  at  once  because  of  my  emo- 
tions.— Basta! 

Vienna,  July  7,  1791,  to  his  wife,  who  was  taking  the 
waters  at  Baden. 

199.  I  call  only  him  or  her  a  friend  who  is 
a  friend  under  all  circumstances,  who  thinks  day 
or  night  of  nothing  else  than  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  a   friend,  who  urges   all  well-to-do 
friends  and  works  himself  to  make  the  other 
person  happy. 

Kaisersheim,  December  18,  1778,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
was  making  the  journey  from  Mannheim  to  Munich  in 
the  carriage  of  a  prelate.  The  parting  with  his  Mann- 
heim friends,  especially  with  Frau  Cannabich,  his  motherly 
friend,  was  hard.  "  For  me,  who  never  made  a  more 
painful  parting  than  this,  the  journey  was  only  half 
pleasant — it  would  even  have  been  a  bore,  if  from  child- 
hood I  had  not  been  accustomed  to  leave  people,  countries 
and  cities." 

200.  Permit  me  to  beg  for  a  continuance  of 
your  precious  friendship,  and  to  ask  you  to  ac- 
cept mine  for  now  and  forever;  with  an  honest 
heart  I  vow  it  to  you  everlastingly.     True  it 
will  be  of  little  use  to  you;  but  it  will  be  the 


Love  and  Friendship  113 

more  durable  and  honest  for  that  reason.  You 
know  that  the  best  and  truest  friends  are  the 
poor.  Rich  people  know  nothing  of  friendship ! 
— especially  those  who  are  born  rich  and  those 
who  have  become  rich  fortuitously, — they  are 
too  often  wrapped  up  completely  in  their  own 
luck !  But  there  is  nothing  to  fear  from  a  man 
who  has  been  placed  in  advantageous  circum- 
stances, not  through  blind,  but  deserved  good 
fortune,  through  merit, — a  man  who  did  not 
lose  courage  because  of  his  first  failures, — who 
remained  true  to  his  religion  and  trust  in  God, 
was  a  good  Christian  and  an  honest  man  and 
cherished  and  valued  his  true  friend, — in  a 
word, — a  man  who  has  deserved  better  fortune 
— from  such  a  man,  there  is  nothing  to  fear. 
Paris,  August  7,  1778,  to  his  friend  Bullinger,  in  Salz- 
burg, to  whom  he  felt  beholden  for  the  gentle  and  con- 
siderate way  in  which  he  had  broken  the  news  of  his 
mother's  death  to  the  family. 

201.  My  friend,  had  I  but  the  money  which 
many  a  man  who  does  not  deserve  it  wastes  so 
miserably, — if  I  only  had  it !  O,  with  what  j  oy 
would  I  not  help  you ! — But,  alas !  those  who 
can  will  not,  and  those  who  would  like  to  can 
not! 

Paris,  July  29,  1778,  to  Fridolin  Weber,  father  of 
Constanze.  The  letter  was  found  but  recently  among 
some  Goethe  autographs. 


WORLDLY    WISDOM 

Mozart's  father  brought  him  up  to  be  worldly 
wise.  While  journeying  at  a  tender  age  through 
the  world  with  his  father  the  lad  became  an  eye 
witness  of  the  paternal  business  management 
with  all  its  attention  to  detail;  of  the  art  of 
utilizing  persons  and  conditions  in  order  to 
achieve  material  results.  As  a  youth  he  repeats 
the  journeys  accompanied  by  his  mother  whom 
he  loses  by  death  in  Paris.  Regularly  from 
Salzburg  his  father  sends  him  letters  full  of 
admonitions  and  advice,  the  subjects  almost 
systematically  grouped.  The  worldly  wisdom 
of  the  son  is  the  fruit  of  paternal  education, 
which  he  did  not  outgrow  up  to  the  day  of  his 
death.  But  life,  experience,  was  also  an  edu- 
cator; a  seeming  distrust  of  mankind  speaks 
out  of  many  a  passage  in  his  letters,  but  on 
the  whole  he  thought  too  well  of  his  fellow- 
men,  and  remained  blind  to  the  faults  of  his 
false  friends  who  basely  exploited  him  for  their 
own  ends.  Although  gifted  with  keen  powers 
of  observation  he  always  followed  his  kind  heart 
instead  of  his  better  judgment  and  his  sister 
spoke  no  more  than  the  truth  when  she  said 
after  his  death :  "  Outside  of  music  he  was,  and 
remained,  nearly  always,  a  child.  This  was  the 
chief  trait  of  his  character  on  its  shady  side; 
115 


116  Mozart 

he  always  needed  a   father,  mother,  or  other 
guardian." 

202.  Reflect,  too,   on  this   only  too   certain 
truth:  it  is  not  always  wise  to  do  all  the  things 
contemplated.   Often  one  thinks  one  thing  would 
be  most  advisable  and  another  unadvisable  and 
bad,  when,  if  it  were  done,  the  opposite  results 
would  disclose  themselves. 

Mannheim,  December  10,  1777,  to  his  father,  when  a 
plan  for  an  appointment  in  Mannheim  came  to  naught. 

203.  I  am  not  indifferent  but  only  resolved, 
and  therefore,   I  can  endure   everything  with 
patience, — provided,  only,  that  neither  my  honor 
nor  the  good  name  of  Mozart  shall  suffer  there- 
from.    Well,  since  it  must  be  so,  so  be  it;  only 
I  beg,  do  not  rejoice  or  sorrow  prematurely; 
for  let  happen  what  may  it  will  be  all  right  so 
long  as  we  remain  well — happiness  exists  only 
in  the  imagination. 

Mannheim,  November  29,  1777,  to  his  father,  who  had 
upbraided  him  because  of  his  reckless  expenditures.  At 
the  time  Mozart  was  hoping  for  an  appointment  at  Mann- 
heim. 

204.  Dearest  and  best  of  fathers : — You  shall 
see  that  things  go  better  and  better  with  me. 
What  use  is  this  perpetual  turmoil,  this  hurried 
fortune  ?    It  does  not  endure. — Che  va  piano  va 
sano.      One   must    adjust    himself    to    circum- 
stances. 

Vienna,  December  22,  1781,  to  his  father,  just  before 
Mozart's  marriage  engagement  to  Constanze  Weber. 


Worldly  Wisdom  117 

205.  Now,  to  put  your  mind  at  ease,  I  am 
doing  nothing  without  reasons,  and  well-founded 
ones,-  too. 

Vienna,  October  21,  1781,  to  his  "little  cousin,"  who 
may  still  have  cherished  hopes  of  capturing  her  merry 
kinsman. 

206.  I  have  no  news  except  that  35,  59,  60, 
61,  62,  were  the  winning  numbers  in  the  lottery, 
and,  therefore,  that  if  we  had  played  those  num- 
bers we  would  have  won;  but  that  inasmuch  as 
we  did  not  play  those  numbers  we  neither  won 
nor  lost  but  had  a  good  laugh  at  others. 

Milan,  October  26,  1771,  to  his  sister. 

207.  Everybody    was    extremely    courteous, 
and  therefore  I  was  also  very  courteous ;  for  it 
is  my  custom  to  conduct  myself  towards  others 
as  they  conduct  themselves  towards  me, — it's 
the  best  way  to  get  along. 

Augsburg,  October  14,  1777,  to  his  father. 

208.  In  Vienna  and  all  the  imperial  heredita- 
ments the  theatres  will  all  open  in  six  weeks.    It 
is  wisely  designed ;  for  the  dead  are  not  so  much 
benefited  by  the  long  mourning  as  many  people 
are  harmed. 

Munich,  December  13,  1780,  to  his  father.  Empress 
Maria  Theresa  had  died  on  November  29.  Mozart  had 
greatly  revered  her  from  his  youth.  Nevertheless  he  takes 
a  practical  view  of  the  situation  since  the  production  of 
his  opera  "  Idomeneo "  is  imminent.  He  requests  of  his 
father  to  have  his  "  black  coat  thoroughly  dusted,  cleaned 
and  put  to  rights,"  and  to  send  it  to  him,  since  "  every- 
body would  go  into  mourning,  and  I,  who  will  be  sum- 
moned hither  and  thither,  must  weep  along  with  the 
others." 


118  Mozart 

209.  Rest  assured  that  I  am  a  changed  man ; 
outside  of  my  health  I  know  of  nothing  more 
necessary  than  money.     I  am  certainly  not  a 
miser, — it  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  change 
myself  into  one — and  yet  the  people  here  think 
me  more  disposed  to  be  stingy  than  prodigal; 
and  for  a  beginning  that  will  suffice.     So  far 
as  pupils  are  concerned  I  can  have  as  many  as 
I  want ;  but  I  do  not  want  many ;  I  want  better 
pay  than  the  others,  and  therefore  I  am  content 
with  fewer.     One  must  put  on  a  few  airs  at  the 
beginning  or  one  is  lost,  i.e.  one  must  travel  the 
common  road  with  the  many. 

Vienna,  May  26,  1781,  to  his  father. 

210.  Depend  confidently  on  me.     I  am  no 
longer  a  fool,  and  you  will  still  less  believe  that 
I  am  a  wicked  and  ungrateful  son.     Meanwhile 
trust  my  brains  and  my  good  heart  implicitly, 
and  you  shall  never  be  sorry.     How  should  I 
have   learned   to   value   money?      I   never   had 
enough  of  it  in  my  hands.     I  remember  that 
once  when  I  had  20  ducats  I  thought  myself 
rich.    Need  alone  teaches  the  value  of  money. 

Vienna,  May  26,  1781,  to  his  father. 

211.  If  it  were  possible  that  it  should  vex  me 
I  should  do  my  best  not  to  notice  it;  as  it  is, 
thank  God,  there  is  no  need  of  my  deceiving 
myself  because  only  the  opposite  could  vex  me, 
and  I  should  have  had  to  decline,  which  is  al- 
ways too  bad  when  one  is  dealing  with  a  grand 
gentleman. 


Worldly  Wisdom  119 

Vienna,  October  5,  1782,  to  his  father.  Mozart  had 
expected  to  give  music  lessons  to  a  princess,  but  another 
teacher  was  chosen.  Continuing  in  the  same  letter,  he 
says :  "  I  need  only  tell  you  his  fee  and  you  will  easily  be 
able  to  judge  from  it  the  strength  of  the  master— 400 
florins.  His  name  is  Summerer." 

212.  I  shall  compose  an  opera  but  not  in  or- 
der, for  the  sake  of  100  ducats, to  see  the  theatre 
earn  four  times  as  much  in  a  fortnight.     I  shall 
perform  my  opera  at  my  own  cost  and  make  at 
least  1,200  florins  in  three  performances;  then 
the  director  can  have  the  work  for  50  ducats. 
If  he  does  not  want  it  I  shall  have  received  my 
pay  and  can  utilize  the  opera  elsewhere.    I  hope 
that  you  have  never  observed  a  tendency  to  dis- 
honest dealing  in  me.     One  ought  not  to  be  a 
bad  fellow,  but  neither  ought  one  to  be  a  stupid 
who  is  willing  to  let  others  benefit  from  the  work 
which  cost  him  study,  care  and  labor,  and  sur- 
render all  claims  for  the  future. 

Vienna,  October  5,  1782,  to  his  father.  Mozart's  plans 
for  exploiting  his  opera  were  never  realized. 

213.  Yesterday   I   dined  with  the   Countess 
Thun,   and   to-morrow   I   shall   dine   with   her 
again.     I  let  her  hear  all  that  was  complete; 
she  told  me  that  she  would  wager  her  life  that 
everything  that  I  have  written  up  to  date  would 
please.     In  such  matters  I  care  nothing  for  the 
praise  or  censure  of  anybody  until  the  whole 
work  has  been  seen  or  heard;  instead  I  follow 
my  own  judgment  and  feelings. 

Vienna,  August  8,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  opera  in 
question  was  "Die  Entfiihrung  aus  dem  Serail." 


120  Mozart 


214.  Magnanimity  and  gentleness  have  often 
reconciled  the  worst  enemies. 

Vienna,  July  8,  1791,  to  his  wife,  who  had  somewhat 
rudely  repulsed  the  advances  of  one  of  the  visitors  at 
Baden  where  she  was  taking  the  waters. 


IN    SUFFERING 

It  is  as  difficult  to  call  up  in  the  fancy  a 
picture  of  a  suffering  Mozart  as  a  merry  Bee- 
thoven. The  effect  of  melancholy  hours  is 
scarcely  to  be  found  in  Mozart's  music.  When 
he  composed, — i.e.  according  to  his  own  expres- 
sion "  speculated  "  while  walking  up  and  down 
revolving  musical  ideas  in  his  mind  and  forming 
them  into  orderly  compositions,  so  that  the 
subsequent  transcription  was  a  mechanical  occu- 
pation which  required  but  little  effort, — he  was 
transported  to  the  realm  of  tones,  far  from  the 
miseries  of  this  world.  Nor  would  his  happy 
disposition  permit  him  long  to  remain  under 
the  influence  of  grief  and  care.  None  of  the 
letters  which  sound  notes  of  despair  lacks  a  jest 
in  which  the  writer  forcibly  tears  himself  away 
from  his  gloomy  thoughts.  His  sufferings  came 
to  him  from  without;  the  fate  of  a  Beethoven 
was  spared  him.  Others  brought  him  pain, — 
his  rivals  through  envy,  the  Archbishop  through 
malevolence,  the  Emperor  through  ignorance. 
Sufferings  of  this  character  challenged  opposi- 
tion and  called  out  his  powers,  presenting  to  us 
a  Mozart  full  of  temperament  and  capable  of 
measuring  himself  with  any  opponent. 

He  never  lost  hope  even  when  hope  seemed 
most  deceptive.  It  is  therefore  impossible  to 
121 


122  Mozart 

speak  of  a  suffering  Mozart  in  the  sense  that 
we  speak  of  a  suffering  Beethoven;  fate  was 
kind  even  at  his  death,  which  was  preceded  by 
but  a  brief  illness. 

215.  I  am  still  full  of  gall!  .  .  .  Three 
times  this — I  do  not  know  what  to  call  him — 
has  assailed  me  to  my  face  with  impertinence 
and  abuse  of  a  kind  that  I  did  not  want  to 
write  down,  my  best  of  fathers,  and  I  did  not 
immediately  avenge  the  insult  because  I  thought 
of  you.  He  called  me  a  wretch  (Buben),  a  li- 
centious fellow,  told  me  to  get  out  and  I — suf- 
fered it  all,  feeling  that  not  only  my  honor  but 
yours  as  well  was  attacked;  but, — it  was  your 
wish, — I  held  my  tongue. 

Vienna,  May  9,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  had  heard 
with  deep  concern  of  the  treatment  which  his  son  was 
enduring  at  the  hands  of  the  Archbishop  of  Salzburg, 
and  who  feared  for  his  own  position.  At  the  close  of  the 
letter  Mozart  writes:  "  I  want  to  hear  nothing  more  about 
Salzburg;  I  hate  the  archbishop  to  the  verge  of  madness." 

£16.  The  edifying  things  which  the  Arch- 
bishop said  to  me  in  the  three  audiences,  par- 
ticularly in  the  last,  and  what  I  have  again  been 
told  by  this  glorious  man  of  God,  had  so  admi- 
rable a  physical  effect  on  me  that  I  had  to  leave 
the  opera  in  the  evening  in  the  middle  of  the 
first  act,  go  home,  and  to  bed.  I  was  in  a  fever, 
my  whole  body  trembled,  and  I  reeled  like  a 
drunken  man  in  the  street.  The  next  day,  yes- 
terday, I  remained  at  home  and  all  forenoon  in 
bed  because  I  had  taken  the  tamarind  water. 


In  Suffering  123 


Vienna,  May  12,  1781,  to  his  father.  The  catastrophe 
between  Mozart  and  the  archbishop  is  approaching. 

217.  Twice  the  Archbishop  gave  me  the  gross- 
est impertinences  and  I  answered  not  a  word; 
more,  I  played  for  him  with  the  same  zeal  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.     Instead  of  recognizing 
the  honesty  of  my  service  and  my  desire  to  please 
him  at  the  moment  when  I  was  expecting  some- 
thing very  different,  he  begins  a  third  tirade  in 
the  most  despicable  manner  in  the  world. 

Vienna,  June  13,  1781,  to  his  father.  See  the  chapter 
"  Self-Respect  and  Honor." 

218.  All  the  world  asserts  that  by  my  brag- 
gadocio and  criticisms  I  have  made  enemies  of 
the  professional  musicians !   Which  world?   Pre- 
sumably that  of  Salzburg,  for  anybody  living 
in  Vienna  sees  and  hears  differently;  there  is 
my  answer. 

Vienna,  July  31,  to  his  father,  who  had  sent  Mozart 
what  the  latter  called  "  so  indifferent  and  cold  a  letter," 
when  informed  by  his  son  of  the  great  success  of  his 
opera,  "  Die  Entfiihrung  aus  dem  Serail."  As  on  previous 
occasions  Salzburg  talebearers  had  been  busying  them- 
selves. 

219.  I  rejoice  like  a  child  at  the  prospect  of 
being  with  you   again.      I   should   have  to   be 
ashamed  of  myself  if  people  could  look  into  my 
heart;  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  it  is  cold, — 
cold  as  ice.     Yes,  if  you  were  with  me  I  might 
find  greater  pleasure  in  the  courteous  treatment 
which  I  receive  from  the  people ;  but  as  it  is,  it 
is  all  empty.     Adieu! — Love! 

Frankfort,  September  30,  1790,  to  his  wife.     Mozart 


124  Mozart 


had  made  the  journey  to  Frankfort  to  give  concerts  amidst 
the  festivities  accompanying  the  coronation  of  Leopold 
II,  hoping  that  he  could  better  his  financial  condition. 
Not  having  been  sent  at  the  cost  of  the  Emperor,  like 
other  Court  musicians,  he  pawned  his  silver,  bought  a 
carriage  and  took  with  him  his  brother-in-law,  a  violinist 
named  Hofer.  "  It  took  us  only  six  days  to  make  the 
journey."  He  was  disappointed  in  his  expectations.  "  I 
have  now  decided  to  do  as  well  as  I  can  here  and  look 
joyfully  towards  a  meeting  with  you.  What  a  glorious 
life  we  shall  lead;  I  shall  work — work!" 

220.  Dreams  give  me  no  concern,  for  there 
is  no  mortal  man  on  earth  who  does  not  some- 
times  dream.      But   merry   dreams !   quiet,    re- 
freshing, sweet  dreams  !     Those  are  the  thing ! 
Dreams  which,  if  they  were  realities,  would  make 
tolerable  my  life  which  has  more  of  sadness  in  it 
than  merriment. 

Munich,  December  31,  1778,  to  his  father.  During 
Mozart's  sojourn  in  Paris  the  love  of  Aloysia  Weber  had 
grown  cold,  and  Mozart  was  in  the  dolors. 

221.  Happy  man!    Now  see, — I  have  got  to 
give  still  another  lesson  in  order  to  earn  some 
money. 

1786,  to  Gyrowetz,  on  the  latter's  departure  for  Italy. 

222.  You  can  not  doubt  my  honesty,  for  you 
know  me  too  well  for  that.     Nor  can  you  be 
suspicious  of  my  words,  my  conduct  or  my  mode 
of  life,  because  you  know  my  conduct  and  mode 
of  life.     Therefore, — forgive  my  confidence  in 
you, — I  am  still  very  unhappy, — always  between 
fear  and  hope. 

Vienna,  July  17,  1788,  to  his  faithful  friend,  Puch- 
berg,  whom  he  has  asked  for  money  on  account  of  the 
severe  illness  of  his  wife. 


In  Suffering  125 


223.  You  know  my  circumstances;  —  to  be 
brief,  since  I  can  not  find  a  true  friend,  I  am 
obliged  to  borrow  money  from  usurers.  But  as 
it  takes  time  to  hunt  among  these  un-Christian 
persons  for  those  who  are  the  most  Christian 
and  to  find  them,  I  am  so  stripped  that  I  must 
beg  you,  dear  friend,  for  God's  sake  to  help  me 
out  with  what  you  can  spare. 

One  of  many  requests  for  help  sent  to  Puchberg.  It 
was  sent  in  1790  and  the  original  bears  an  endorsement: 
"May  17,  sent  150  florins." 


If  you,  worthy  brother,  do  not  help  me 
out  of  my  present  predicament  I  shall  lose  my 
credit  and  honor,  the  only  things  which  I  care 
now  to  preserve. 

Vienna,  June  27,  1788,  to  Puchberg,  who  had  sent  him 
^00  florins  ten  days  before.  Puchberg  was  a  brother 
Mason. 

225.  How  I   felt  then!     How  I   felt  then! 
Such  things  will  never  return.     Now  we  are 
sunk  in  the  emptiness  of  everyday  life. 

Remarked  on  remembering  that  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  had  composed  a  "  Requiem  "  at  the  command  of  Em- 
press Maria  Theresa  and  had  conducted  it  as  chapelmas- 
ter  of  the  imperial  orchestra. 

226.  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  I  was  composing 
this  "Requiem"  for  myself? 

Said  on  the  day  of  his  death  while  still  working  on 
the  "  Requiem  "  for  which  he  had  received  so  mysterious 
a  commission.  The  work  had  been  ordered  by  a  Count 
Walsegg,  who  made  pretensions  to  musical  composition, 
and  who  wished  to  palm  it  off  as  a  work  of  his  own, 
written  in  memory  of  his  wife.  Mozart  never  knew  him. 

227.  I  shall  not  last  much  longer.    I  am  sure 


126  Mozart 


that  I  have  been  poisoned !    I  can  not  rid  myself 
of  this  thought. 

Mozart  believed  that  he  had  been  poisoned  by  one  of 
his  Italian  rivals,  his  suspicion  falling  most  strongly  on 
Salieri.  ["As  regards  Mozart,  Salieri  cannot  escape  cen- 
sure, for  though  the  accusation  of  having  been  the  cause 
of  his  death  has  been  long  ago  disproved,  it  is  more  than 
possible  that  he  was  not  displeased  at  the  removal  of  so 
formidable  a  rival.  At  any  rate,  though  he  had  it  in  his 
power  to  influence  the  Emperor  in  Mozart's  favor,  he  not 
only  neglected  to  do  so,  but  even  intrigued  against  him, 
as  Mozart  himself  relates  in  a  letter  to  his  friend  Puch- 
berg.  After  his  death,  however,  Salieri  befriended  his 
son,  and  gave  him  a  testimonial  which  secured  him  his 
first  appointment."  C.  F.  Pohl,  in  "  Grove's  Dictionary  of 
Music  and  Musicians."] 

228.  Stay  with  me  to-night;  you  must  see 
me  die.     I  have  long  had  the  taste  of  death  on 
my  tongue,  I  smell  death,  and  who  will  stand 
by  my  Constanze,  if  you  do  not  stay  ? 

Reported  by  his  sister-in-law,  Sophie,  sister  of  Con- 
stanze. 

229.  And  now  I  must  go  just  as  it  had  be- 
come possible  for  me  to  live  quietly.     Now  I 
must  leave  my  art  just  as  I  had  freed  myself 
from  the   slavery  of  fashion,  had  broken   the 
bonds  of  speculators,  and  won  the  privilege  of 
following  my  own  feelings  and  compose  freely 
and  independently  whatever  my  heart  prompted ! 
I  must  away  from  my  family,  from  my  poor 
children  in  the  moment  when  I  should  have  been 
able  better  to  care  for  their  welfare ! 

Uttered  on  his  death-bed. 


MORALS 

As  regards  his  manner  of  life  and  morals 
Mozart  long  stood  in  a  bad  light  before  the 
world.  The  slanderous  stories  all  came  from 
his  enemies  in  Vienna,  and  a  long  time  passed 
before  their  true  character  was  recognized.  A 
great  contribution  to  this  end  was  made  by  the 
publication  of  his  letters,  which  disclose  an  ex- 
traordinarily strong  moral  sense.  The  tale  of 
an  alleged  liaison  with  a  certain  Frau  Hofda- 
mel,  as  a  result  of  which  the  deceived  husband 
was  said  to  have  committed  suicide,  has  been 
proved  to  be  wholly  untrue  and  without  war- 
rant. 

It  may  be  said,  indeed,  that  Mozart  was  an 
exception  among  the  men  of  his  period.  The 
immorality  of  the  Viennese  was  proverbial. 
Karoline  Pichler,  a  contemporary,  writes  as  fol- 
lows in  her  book  of  recollections  of  the  eighth 
decade  of  the  eighteenth  century :  "  In  Vienna 
at  the  time  there  reigned  a  spirit  of  appreciation 
for  merriment  and  a  susceptibility  for  every 
form  of  beauty  and  sensuous  pleasure.  There 
was  the  greatest  freedom  of  thought  and  opin- 
ion; anything  could  be  written  and  printed 
which  was  not,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  words, 
contrary  to  religion  and  the  state.  Little 
thought  was  bestowed  on  good  morals.  There 
121 


128  Mozart 


was  considerable  license  in  the  current  plays  and 
novels.  Kotzebue  created  a  tremendous  sensa- 
tion. His  plays  .  .  .  and  a  multitude  of 
romances  and  tales  (Meissner's  sketches  among 
other  things)  were  all  based  on  meretricious  re- 
lations. All  the  world  and  every  young  girl 
read  them  without  suspicion  or  offence.  More 
than  once  had  I  read  and  seen  these  things; 
*  Oberon  '  was  well  known  to  me ;  so  was  Meiss- 
ner's  *  Alcibiades.'  No  mother  hesitated  to  ac- 
quaint her  daughter  with  such  works  and  be- 
fore our  eyes  there  were  so  many  living  exem- 
plars whose  irregular  conduct  was  notorious, 
that  no  mother  could  have  kept  her  daughter 
in  ignorance  had  she  tried." 

Mozart  was  a  passionate  jester  and  his  jokes 
were  coarse  enough ;  of  that  there  is  no  doubt. 
But  these  things  were  innocent  at  the  time.  The 
letters  of  the  lad  to  his  little  cousin  in  Augs- 
burg contain  many  passages  that  would  be 
called  of  questionable  propriety  now;  but  the 
little  cousin  does  not  seem  to  have  even  blushed. 
The  best  witness  to  the  morality  of  Mozart's 
life  is  his  wife,  who,  after  his  death,  wrote  to 
the  publishing  firm  of  Breitkopf  and  Hartel: 
"  His  letters  are  beyond  doubt  the  best  criterion 
for  his  mode  of  thought,  his  peculiarities  and 
his  education.  Admirably  characteristic  is  his 
extraordinary  love  for  me,  which  breathes 
through  all  his  letters.  Those  of  his  last  year 
on  earth  are  just  as  tender  as  those  which  he 
must  have  written  in  the  first  year  of  our  mar- 


Morals  129 

ried  life; — is  it  not  so?  I  beg  as  a  particular 
favor  that  special  attention  be  called  to  this 
fact  for  the  sake  of  his  honor." 

He  was  a  Freemason  with  all  his  heart,  and 
gave  expression  to  his  humanitarian  feeling  in 
his  opera  "  The  Magic  Flute."  Without  sus- 
picion himself,  he  thought  everybody  else  good, 
which  led  to  painful  experiences  with  some  of 
his  friends. 

230.  Parents   strive  to  place  their   children 
in  a  position  which  shall  enable  them  to  earn 
their  own  living ;  and  this  they  owe  to  their  chil- 
dren and  the  state.      The  greater  the  talents 
with  which  the  children  have  been  endowed  by 
God,  the  more  are  they  bound  to  make  use  of 
those  talents  to  improve  the  conditions  of  them- 
selves and  their  parents,  to  aid  their  parents 
and  to  care  for  their  own  present  and  future 
welfare.     We  are  taught  thus  to  trade  with  our 
talents  in  the  Gospels.     I  owe  it,  therefore,  to 
God  and  my  conscience  to  pay  the  highest  grati- 
tude to  my  father,  who  tirelessly  devoted  all  his 
hours  to  my  education,  and  to  lighten  his  bur- 
dens. 

From  his  request  for  dismissal  from  service  in  August, 
1777.  He  wished  to  undertake  an  artistic  tour  with  hi^ 
father.  He  received  his  dismissal  from  the  Archbishop 
of  Salzburg,  who  granted  it  right  unwillingly,  however. 

231.  Only  one  thing  vexed  me  a  trifle, — the 
question  whether  I  had   forgotten  confession. 
I  have  no  complaint  to  make,  but  I  do  ask  one 
favor,  and  that  is  that  you  do  not  think  so  ill 


130  Mozart 

of  me !  I  am  fond  of  merriment,  but,  believe  me, 
I  can  also  be  serious.  Since  I  left  Salzburg 
(and  while  still  in  Salzburg)  I  have  met  persons 
whose  conduct  was  such  that  I  would  have  been 
ashamed  to  talk  and  act  as  they  did  though  they 
were  ten,  twenty  or  thirty  years  older  than  I! 
Again  I  humbly  beg  of  you  to  have  a  better 
opinion  of  me. 

Mannheim,  December  20,  1777,  to  his  father,  in  answer 
to  a  letter  of  reproaches. 

232.  With  all  my  heart  I  do  wish  Herr  von 
Schiedenhofen  joy.     It  is  another  marriage  for 
money  and  nothing  else.     I  should  not  like  to 
marry  thus ;  I  want  to  make  my  wife  happy, — 
not  have  her  make  my  fortune.    For  that  reason 
I  shall  not  marry  but  enjoy  my  golden  freedom 
until  I  am  so  situated  that  I  can  support  wife 
and  children.     It  was  necessary  that  Herr  Sch. 
should  marry  a  rich  woman ;  that's  the  conse- 
quence of  being  a  nobleman.     The  nobility  must 
never  marry  from  inclination  or  love,  but  only 
from  considerations  of  interest,  and  all  manner 
of  side  considerations.     Nor  would  it  be  becom- 
ing in  such  persons  if  they  were  still  to  love 
their  wives  after  the  latter  had  done  their  duty 
and  brought  forth  a  plump  heir. 

Mannheim,  February  7,  1778,  to  his  father. 

233.  In  my  opinion  there  is  nothing  more 
shameful  than  to  deceive  an  honest  girl. 

Paris,  July  18,  1778,  to  his  father. 

234.  I  am  unconscious  of  any  guilt  for  which 


Morals  131 


I  might  fear  your  reproaches.  I  have  committed 
no  error  (meaning  by  error  any  act  unbecoming 
to  a  Christian  and  an  honest  man).  I  am  antici- 
pating the  pleasantest  and  happiest  days,  but 
only  in  company  with  you  and  my  dearest  sis- 
ter. I  swear  to  you  on  my  honor  that  I  can  not 
endure  Salzburg  and  its  citizens  (I  speak  of  the 
natives).  Their  speech  and  mode  of  life  are 
utterly  intolerable. 

Munich,  January  8,  1779,  to  his  father,  who  was  urging 
his  return  from  Paris  to  take  the  post  of  chapelmaster  in 
Salzburg.  The  musicians  of  Salzburg  were  notorious  be- 
cause of  their  loose  lives. 

235.  From  the  way  in  which  my  last  letter 
was  received  I  observe  to  my  sorrow  that  (just 
as  if  I  were  an  arch  scoundrel  or  an  ass,  or  both 
at  once)   you  trust  the  tittle-tattle  and  scrib- 
blings  of  other  people  more  than  you  do  me. 
But  I  assure  you  that  this  does  not  give  me  the 
least  concern.     The  people  may  write  the  eyes 
out  of  their  heads,  and  you  may  applaud  them 
as  much  as  you  please,  it  will  not  cause  me  to 
change  a  hair's  breadth ;  I  shall  remain  the  same 
honest  fellow  that  I  have  always  been. 

Vienna,  September  5,  1781,  to  his  father,  who  was  still 
listening  to  the  slander  mongers.  Mozart  could  not  lightly 
forget  the  fact  that  it  was  due  to  these  gentlemen  that 
he  had  been  forced  to  leave  the  house  of  the  widow 
Weber  with  whose  daughter  Constanze  he  was  in  love. 

236.  You  have  been  deceived  in  your  son  if 
you  could  believe  him  capable  of  doing  a  mean 
thing.     .     .     .     You  know   that   I   could   not 
have  acted  otherwise  without  outraging  my  con- 


132  Mozart 

science  and  my  honor.  ...  I  beg  pardon 
for  my  too  hasty  trust  in  your  paternal  love. 
Through  this  frank  confession  you  have  a  new 
proof  of  my  love  of  truth  and  detestation  of  a 
lie. 

Vienna,  August  7,  1782,  to  his  father,  whose  consent  to 
his  son's  marriage  did  not  arrive  till  the  day  after. 

237.  Dearest  and  best  of  fathers : — I  beg  of 
you,  for  the  sake  of  all  that  is  good  in  the  world, 
give  your  consent  to  my  marriage  with  my  dear 
Constanze.  Do  not  think  that  it  is  alone  be- 
cause of  my  desire  to  get  married;  I  could  well 
wait.  But  I  see  that  it  is  absolutely  essential 
to  my  honor,  the  honor  of  my  sweetheart,  to  my 
health  and  frame  of  mind.  My  heart  is  ill  at 
ease,  my  mind  disturbed; — then  how  shall  I  do 
any  sensible  thinking  or  work?  Why  is  this? 
Most  people  think  we  are  already  married ;  this 
enrages  the  mother  and  the  poor  girl  and  I  are 
tormented  almost  to  death.  All  this  can  be 
easily  relieved.  Believe  me  it  is  possible  to  live 
as  cheaply  in  expensive  Vienna  as  anywhere  else ; 
it  all  depends  on  the  housekeeping  and  the  or- 
derliness which  is  never  to  be  found  in  a  young 
man  especially  if  he  be* in  love.  Whoever  gets 
a  wife  such  as  I  am  going  to  have  can  count 
himself  fortunate.  We  shall  live  simply  and 
quietly,  and  yet  be  happy.  Do  not  worry ;  for 
should  I  (which  God  forefend!)  get  ill  to-day, 
especially  if  I  were  married,  I  wager  that  the 
first  of  the  nobility  would  come  to  my 
help.  ...  I  await  your  consent  with  long- 


Morals  133 

ing,  best  of  fathers,  I  await  it  with  confidence, 
my  honor  and  fame  depend  upon  it. 
Vienna,  July  27,  1782. 

238.  Meanwhile   my   striving  is  to   secure   a 
small  certainty;  then  with  the  help  of  the  con- 
tingencies, it  will  be  easy  to  live  here ;  and  then 
to  marry.     I  beg  of  you,  dearest  and  best  of 
fathers,  listen  to  me!     I  have  preferred  my  re- 
quest, now  listen  to  my  reasons.     The  calls  of 
nature  are  as  strong  in  me,  perhaps  stronger, 
than  in  many  a  hulking  fellow.     I  can  not  pos- 
sibly live  like  the  majority  of  our  young  men. 
In  the  first  place  I  have  too  much  religion,  in 
the  second  too  much  love  for  my  fellow  man  and 
too  great  a  sense  of  honor  ever  to  betray   a 
girl.      .      .      . 

Vienna,  December  15,  1781.  [The  whole  of  this  letter 
deserves  to  be  read  by  those  who,  misled  by  the  reports, 
still  deemed  trustworthy  when  Jahn  published  the  first 
edition  of  his  great  biography,  believed  that  Mo/art  was  a 
man  of  bad  morals.  Unfortunately  Mozart's  candor  in 
presenting  his  case  to  his  father  can  scarcely  be  adjusted 
to  the  requirements  of  a  book  designed  for  general  circu- 
lation. Let  it  suffice  that  in  his  confession  to  his  father 
Mozart  puts  himself  on  the  ground  of  the  loftiest  sexual 
purity,  and  stakes  life  and  death  on  the  truthfulness  of 
his  statements.  H.  E.  K.] 

239.  You  surely  can  not  be  angry  because  I 
want  to  get  married?     I  think  and  believe  that 
you  will  recognize  best  my  piety  and  honorable 
intentions  in  the  circumstance.    O,  I  could  easily 
write  a  long  answer  to  your  last  letter,  and  offer 
many  objections;  but  my  maxim  is  that  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  discuss  matters  that  do  not  affect 


134  Mozart 


me.  I  can't  help  it, — it's  my  nature.  I  am  really 
ashamed  to  defend  myself  when  I  find  myself 
falsely  accused;  I  always  think,  the  truth  will 
out  some  day. 

Vienna,  January  9,  1782,  to  his  father.  In  the  same 
letter  he  continues :  "  I  can  not  be  happy  and  contented 
without  my  dear  Constanze,  and  without  your  satisfied 
acquiescence,  I  could  only  be  half  happy.  Therefore, 
make  me  wholly  happy." 

240.  As  I  have  thought  and  said  a  thousand 
times  I  would  gladly  leave  everything  in  your 
hands  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  but  since,  so 
to  speak,  it  is  useless  to  you  but  to  my  advan- 
tage, I  deem  it  my  duty  to  remember  my  wife 
and  children. 

June  16,  1787,  to  his  sister,  concerning  his  inheritance 
from  his  father  who  had  died  on  May  28. 

241.  Isn't  it  true  that  you  are  daily  becom- 
ing more  convinced  of  the  truth  of  my  correct- 
ive sermons?     Is  not  the  amusement  of  a  fickle 
and  capricious  love  far  as  the  heavens  from  the 
blessedness  which  true,  sensible  love  brings  with 
it?     Do  you  not  often  thank  me  in  your  heart 
for  my  instruction?     You  will  soon  make  me 
vain !    But  joking  aside,  you  do  owe  me  a  modi- 
cum of  gratitude  if  you  have  made  yourself 
worthy  of  Fraulein  N.,  for  I  certainly  did  not 
play  the  smallest  role  at  your  conversion. 

Prague,  November  4,  1787,  to  a  wealthy  young  friend, 
name  unknown. 

242.  Pray  believe  anything  you  please  about 
me  but  nothing  ill.     There  are  persons  who  be- 


Morals  135 

lieve  it  is  impossible  to  love  a  poor  girl  without 
harboring  wicked  intentions;  and  the  beautiful 
word  mistress  is  so  lovely ! — I  am  a  Mozart,  but 
a  young  and  well  meaning  Mozart.  Among 
many  faults  I  have  this  that  I  think  that  the 
friends  who  know  me,  know  me.  Hence  many 
words  are  not  necessary.  If  they  do  not  know 
me  where  shall  I  find  words  enough?  It  is  bad 
enough  that  words  and  letters  are  necessary. 

Mannheim,  February  22,  1778,  to  his  father,  who  had 
rebuked  him  for  falling  in  love  with  Aloysia  Weber,  who 
afterward  became  his  sister-in-law. 


RELIGION 

Mozart  was  of  a  deeply  religious  nature, 
reared  in  Salzburg  where  his  father  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  archiepiscopal  chapel.  Throughout 
his  life  he  remained  a  faithful  son  of  the  church, 
for  whose  servants,  however,  he  had  little  sym- 
pathy. The  one  man  whom  Mozart  hated  from 
the  bottom  of  his  soul  was  Archbishop  Hierony- 
mus  of  Salzburg  who  sought  to  put  all  possible 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  youthful  genius,  and 
finally  by  the  most  infamous  of  acts  covered 
himself  everlastingly  with  infamy.  Though 
Mozart  frequently  speaks  angrily  and  bitterly 
of  the  priests  he  always  differentiates  between 
religion,  the  church  and  their  servants.  Like 
Beethoven,  Mozart  stood  toward  God  in  the  re-f 
lationship  of  a  child  full  of  trust  in  his  father. 
His  reliance  on  Providence  was  so  utter  that  his 
words  sometimes  sound  almost  fatalistic.  His 
father  harbored  some  rationalistic  ideas  which 
were  even  more  pronounced  in  Mozart,  so  that 
he  formed  his  own  opinion  concerning  ecclesi- 
astical ceremonies  and  occasionally  disregarded 
them.  His  cheery  temperament  made  it  impos- 
sible that  his  religious  life  should  be  as  pro- 
found as  that  of  Beethoven. 

243.  I  hope  that  with  the  help  of  God,  Miss 
Martha  will  get  well  again.     If  not,  you  should 
137 


138  Mozart 

not  grieve  too  deeply,  for  God's  will  is  always 
the  best.  God  will  know  whether  it  is  better  to 
be  in  this  world  or  the  other. 

Bologna,  September  29,  1770,  to  his  mother  and  sister 
in  Salzburg.  The  young  woman  died  soon  after. 

244.  Tell  papa  to  put  aside  his  fears;  I  live 
with  God  ever  before  me.     I  recognize  His  om- 
nipotence, I  fear  His  anger ;  I  acknowledge  His 
love,  too,  His  compassion  and  mercy  towards 
all  His  creatures,  He  will  never  desert  those  who 
serve  Him.    If  matters  go  according  to  His  will 
they  go  according  to  mine ;  consequently  noth- 
ing can  go  wrong, — I  must  be  satisfied  and 
happy. 

Augsburg,  October  25,  1777,  to  his  father,  who  was 
showering  him  with  exhortations  on  the  tour  which  he 
made  with  his  mother  through  South  Germany. 

245.  Let  come  what  will,  nothing  can  go  ill 
so  long  as  it  is  the  will  of  God ;  and  that  it  may 
so  go  is  my  daily  prayer. 

Mannheim,  December  6,  1777,  to  his  father.  Mozart 
was  waiting  with  some  impatience  to  learn  if  he  was  to 
receive  an  appointment  from  Elector  Karl  Theodore.  It 
did  not  come. 

246.  I  know  myself; — I  know  that  I  have  so 
much  religion  that  I  shall  never  be  able  to  do 
a  thing  which  I  would  not  be  willing  openly  to 
do  before  the  whole  world ;  only  the  thought  of 
meeting  persons  on  my  journeys  whose  ideas  are 
radically  different  from  mine  (and  those  of  all 
honest  people)  frightens  me.     Aside  from  that 
they  may  do  what  they  please.     I  haven't  the 


Religion  139 

heart  to  travel  with  them,  I  would  not  have  a 
single  pleasant  hour,  I  would  not  know  what  to 
say  to  them;  in  a  word  I  do  not  trust  them. 
Friends  who  have  no  religion  are  not  stable. 

Mannheim,  February  2,  1778,  to  his  father.  For  the 
reasons  mentioned  in  the  letter  Mozart  gave  up  his  plan 
to  travel  to  Paris  with  the  musicians  Wendling  and 
Ramen.  In  truth,  perhaps,  his  love  affair  with  Aloysia 
Weber  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  his  resolve. 

247.  I  prayed  to  God  for  His  mercy  that  all 
might  go  well,  to  His  greater  glory,  and  the 
symphony  began.      .     .      .     Immediately  after 
the  symphony  full  of  joy  I  went  into  the  Palais 
Royal,  ate  an  iced  cream,  prayed  the  rosary  as 
I  had  promised  to  do,  and  went  home.     I  am 
always  best  contented  at  home  and  always  will 
be,  or  with  a  good,  true,  honest  German. 

Paris,  July  3,  1778,  to  his  father.  The  symphony  in 
question  is  no  longer  in  existence,  although  Mozart  wanted 
to  write  it  down  again  at  a  later  date. 

248.  I   must  tell   you  my   mother,  my   dear 
mother,  is  no  more. — God  has  called  her  to  Him- 
self;  He  wanted  her,  I  see  that  clearly,  and  I 
must  submit  to  God's  will.     He  gave  her  to  me, 
and  it  was  His  to  take  her  away.     My  friend, 
I  am  comforted,  not  but  now,  but  long  ago.    By 
a   singular  grace   of  God   I   endured   all  with 
steadfastness  and  composure.     When  her  illness 
grew  dangerous  I  prayed  God  for  two  things 
only, — a  happy  hour  of  death  for  my  mother, 
and   strength  and   courage   for   myself.      God 
heard  me  in   His   loving   kindness,   heard   my 


140  Mozart 


prayer  and  bestowed  the  two  mercies  in  largest 
measure. 

Paris,  July  3,  1778,  to  his  good  friend  Bullinger,  in 
Salzburg,  who  was  commissioned  gently  to  bear  the  intel- 
ligence to  Mozart's  father.  At  the  same  time  Mozart, 
with  considerate  deception,  wrote  to  his  father  about  his 
mother's  illness  without  mentioning  her  death. 

249.  I  believe,  and  nothing   shall  ever  per- 
suade me  differently,  that  no  doctor,  no  man, 
no  accident,  can  either  give  life  to  man  or  take 
it  away;  it  rests  with  God  alone.     Those  are 
only  the  instruments  which  He  generally  uses, 
though  not  always;  we  see  men  sink  down  and 
fall  over  dead.    When  the  time  is  come  no  reme- 
dies  can   avail, — they   accelerate   death   rather 
than  retard  it.     .     .     .     I  do  not  say,  there- 
fore, that  my  mother  will  and  must  die,  that  all 
hope  is  gone ;  she  may  recover  and  again  be  well 
and  sound, — but  only  if  it  is  God's  will. 

Paris,  July  3,  1778,  to  his  father,  from  whom  he  is  con- 
cealing the  fact  that  his  mother  is  dead.  He  is  seeking 
to  prepare  him  for  the  intelligence  which  he  has  already 
commissioned  Bullinger  to  convey  to  the  family. 

250.  Under  those  melancholy   circumstances 
I  comforted  myself  with  three  things,  viz. :  my 
complete  and  trustful  submission  to  the  will  of 
God,  then  the  realization  of  her  easy  and  beau- 
tiful death,  combined  with  the  thought  of  the 
happiness  which  was  to  come  to  her  in  a  mo- 
ment,— how  much  happier  she  now  is  than  we, 
so  that  we  might  even  have  wished  to  make  the 
journey  with  her.     Out  of  this  wish  and  desire 
there  was  developed  my  third  comfort,  namely, 


Religion  141 

that  she  is  not  lost  to  us  forever,  that  we  shall 
see  her  again,  that  we  shall  be  together  more 
joyous  and  happy  than  ever  we  were  in  this 
world.  It  is  only  the  time  that  is  unknown,  and 
that  fact  does  not  frighten  me.  When  it  is 
God's  will,  it  shall  be  mine.  Only  the  divine,  the 
most  sacred  will  be  done;  let  us  then  pray  a 
devout  "  Our  Father  "  for  her  soul  and  proceed 
to  other  matters ;  everything  has  its  time. 

Paris,  July  9,  1778,  to  his  father,  informing  him  of 
his  mother's  death. 

251.  Be  without  concern  touching  my  soul's 
welfare,  best  of  fathers !    I  am  an  erring  young 
man,  like  so  many  others,  but  I  can  say  to  my 
own  comfort,  that  I  wish  all  were  as  little  erring 
as  I.     You,  perhaps,  believe  things  about  me 
which  are  not  true.     My  chief  fault  is  that  I 
do  not  always  appear  to  act  as  I  ought.     It  is 
not  true  that  I  boasted  that  I  eat  fish  every 
fast-day;  but  I  did  say  that  I  was  indifferent 
on  the  subject  and  did  not  consider  it  a  sin,  for 
in  my  case  fasting  means  breaking  off,  eating 
less  than  usual.     I  hear  mass  every  Sunday  and 
holy  day,  and  when  it  is  possible  on  week  days 
also, — you  know  that,  my  father. 

Vienna,  June  13,  1781 — another  attempt  at  justifica- 
tion against  slander. 

252.  Moreover  take  the  assurance  that  I  cer- 
tainly am  religious,  and  if  I  should  ever  have 
the  misfortune  (which  God  will  forefend)  to  go 
astray,  I  shall  acquit  you,  best  of  fathers,  from 
all  blame.     I  alone  would  be  the  scoundrel;  to 


1 42  Mozart 

you  I  owe  all  my  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare 
and  salvation. 

Vienna,  June  13,  1781. 

253.  For  a  considerable  time  before  we  were 
married  we  went  together  to  Holy  Mass,  to  con- 
fession and  to  communion;  and  I  found  that  I 
never  prayed  so  fervently,  confessed  and  com- 
municated so  devoutly,  as  when  I  was  at  her 
side; — and  her  experience  was  the  same.     In  a 
word  we  were  made  for  each  other,  and  God, 
who  ordains  all  things  and  consequently  has  or- 
dained this,  will  not  desert  us.     We  both  thank 
you  obediently  for  your  paternal  blessing. 

Vienna,  August  17,  1782. 

254.  I  have  made  it  a  habit  in  all  things  to 
imagine  the  worst.    Inasmuch  as,  strictly  speak- 
ing, death  is  the  real  aim  of  our  life,  I  have  for 
the  past  few  years  made  myself  acquainted  with 
this  true,  best  friend  of  mankind,  so  that  the 
vision  not  only  has  no  terror  for  me  but  much 
that  is  quieting  and  comforting.     And  I  thank 
my  God  that  He  gave  me  the  happiness  and  the 
opportunity  (you  understand  me)   to  learn  to 
know  Him  as  the  key  to  true  blessedness. 

Vienna,  April  4,  1787,  to  his  father,  who  died  on  the 
28th  of  the  following  month.  One  of  the  few  pasages  in 
Mozart's  letters  in  which  there  are  suggestions  of  the 
teachings  of  Freemasonry.  In  1785  he  had  persuaded  his 
father  to  join  the  order,  with  the  result  that  new  warmth 
was  restored  to  the  relationship  which  had  cooled  some- 
what after  Mozart's  marriage. 

255.  To  me  that  again  is  art  twaddle !    There 
may  be  something  true  in  it  for  you  enlightened 


Religion  143 

Protestants,  as  you  call  yourselves,  when  you 
have  your  religion  in  your  heads ;  I  can  not  tell. 
But  you  do  not  feel  what  Agnus  Del,  qui  tollis 
peccata  mundi  and  such  things  mean.  But  when 
one,  like  I,  has  been  initiated  from  earliest  child- 
hood in  the  mystical  sanctuary  of  our  religion ; 
when  there  one  does  not  know  whither  to  go 
with  all  the  vague  but  urgent  feelings,  but  waits 
with  a  heart  full  of  devotion  for  the  divine 
service  without  really  knowing  what  to  expect, 
yet  rises  lightened  and  uplifted  without  know- 
ing what  one  has  received;  when  one  deemed 
those  fortunate  who  knelt  under  the  touching 
strains  of  the  Agnus  Dei  and  received  the  sacra- 
ment, and  at  the  moment  of  reception  the  music 
spoke  in  gentle  joy  from  the  hearts  of  the  kneel- 
ing ones,  Benedictus  qui  venit,  etc.; — then  it  is 
a  different  matter.  True,  it  is  lost  in  the  hurly- 
burly  of  life ;  but, — at  least  it  is  so  in  my  case, 
— when  you  take  up  the  words  which  you  have 
heard  a  thousand  times,  for  the  purpose  of  set- 
ting them  to  music,  everything  comes  back  and 
you  feel  your  soul  moved  again. 

Spoken  in  Leipsic,  in  1789,  when  somebody  expressed 
pity  for  those  capable  musicians  who  were  obliged  to 
"  employ  their  powers  on  ecclesiastical  subjects,  which 
were  mostly  not  only  unfruitful  but  intellectually  kill- 
ing." Rochlitz  reports  the  utterance  but  does  not  vouch 
for  its  literalness. 


BEETHOVEN 

THE  MAN  AND  THE  ARTIST 

AS  REVEALED  IN  HIS  OWN  WORDS 


Compiled  and  Annotated  by 
FRIEDRICH  KERST 

Translated  and   Edited  by 
HENRY  EDWARD  KREHBIEL 


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